Aug 31,2018 Special Forum

Introduction

Relations between Washington and Beijing are said to be worse than at any point since their normalization in 1979, and they are on the verge of plunging further through a “trade war” over the horizon, military tensions over the South China Sea and Taiwan where past management is being challenged, exposure of the illusion of […]

Editorial Staff

South China Sea , trade war , US-ROK alliance

Aug 28,2018 Open Forum

Washington Insights, Vol. 6, No. 4

The pace of change amid the perplexity of the Trump administration is proving overwhelming to many in DC, as elsewhere. Alarm about how badly it is handling North Korea—widening the divide in how to deal with that country—and the shock of an ominously looming trade war with China are but two of the pressing issues […]

Editorial Staff

BRI , Eurasian Economic Community , free and open Indo-Pacific , Greater Eurasia , Quad

Aug 07,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (August 2018)

As Donald Trump wreaked havoc in international relations, confusing friend with foe, Japan was not at all immune. Unlike European allies, it was left essentially to fend for itself—with no clear partner. Japanese media registered concern, then alarm, and finally a degree of resignation. The late spring and early summer of 2018—when Trump left Abe […]

Editorial Staff

BRI , CJK summit , comfort women , Senkaku Islands , TPP-11 , trade war , Trump-Kim summit

Jun 25,2018 Alternative Scenarios

Future Prospects for Japan-China Cooperation

Post Views: 860

Editorial Staff

Jun 07,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (June 2018)

Kawakami Takashi in Kaigai Jijo No. 3-4, linked Trump’s chaos to America’s decline, leading to a breakdown in the world order. Giving rise to this is the power shift between Washington and Beijing, which is accompanied by a civilizational transfer from the West. US fatigue from the fight against terrorism has accelerated this shift. Instead […]

Editorial Staff

Abe-Trump summit , BRI , China-Japan-Korea summit , Deal diplomacy , free and open Indo-Pacific , RCEP , trade war

May 01,2018 National Commentaries

A View from Russia, China, and Sundry Progressives

The optimism is palpable despite whiffs of concern. Many who had long been saying that North Korea only needed to be reassured to become a reliable diplomatic partner with willingness to abandon its threats and proceed to denuclearization in stages now feel vindicated. Instead of being some sort of madman, Kim Jong-un proved to be […]

Editorial Staff

inter-Korean summit , Pyeongchang Olympics , Regional security framework , US-ROK alliance

Apr 30,2018 Open Forum

Washington Insights: April 2018

The pace of change was overwhelming in the final weeks of winter and the first month of spring. Moon Jae-in appeared to be in the driver’s seat, but he was counting on Kim Jong-un to keep the momentum building. Abe Shinzo was desperate to shore up relations with Donald Trump, rushing to visit the United […]

Editorial Staff

China-Japan-South Korea summit , inter-Korean summit , Kim-Xi summit , Pax Sinica , Trump-Kim summit

Mar 19,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (April 2018 with Focus on Korea)

Not only was Abe battered by a domestic scandal, his foreign policy was rocked by diplomacy, history, and trade shocks. The North Korean presence at the Winter Olympics saw Japanese media warning about Seoul turning soft and breaking away from the “maximum pressure” approach of Tokyo and Washington, which was reinforced by warnings in early […]

Editorial Staff

“smile diplomacy” , comfort women , Dokdo/Takeshima , Pyeongchang Olympics , Six-Party Talks , Yasukuni

Mar 14,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (February 2018)

Understandably, Japanese have been preoccupied with the Korean Peninsula since the start of 2018. In this Country Report, we cover issues not central to the serious matters over the peninsula, while in the upcoming Report, we focus exclusively on peninsular matters. Together, the two reports serve as coverage of Japan for the first two issues […]

Editorial Staff

“Year of China” , BRI , CPTPP , free and open Indo-Pacific , TPP-11

Feb 27,2018 Special Forum

Introduction

As the diplomatic prospects for resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis took center stage while the military focus remained fixed on North Korea’s persistent advances and the “fire and fury” that President Trump threatened to unleash, it remained important in the first months of 2018 to keep the eyes of the international community on South […]

Editorial Staff

comfort women , KORUS FTA , Pyeongchang Olympics , THAAD , US-ROK alliance