“China’s civil affairs minister will attend a United Nations-sponsored meeting on disaster risks in Japan next month, making him the first minister from Beijing to visit Japan in three years.”
Or How Even Toilet Seats Get Dragged Into Politics… “The built-in bottom washers and pre-warmed seats of Japan’s luxury toilets faced a storm in a U-bend on Thursday as Chinese state-run media launched a thunderous tirade against them… There were calls…
“Paul Letters says China and Russia’s decision to jointly commemorate the end of world war two must be understood against the background of their shared experiences – but only up to a point…”
“Beijing and Moscow have been working together on their plans to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and put pressure on Japan in the process, reports our Chinese-language sister paper Want Daily.”
“China on Saturday applauded the UN resolution on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, urging countries to explore effective ways to maintain international peace and security. The resolution was adopted unanimously at the 69th session of the…
“Japanese parliamentarian Toshihiro Nikai will bring a 3,000-strong delegation to China in late May this year, Nikai told a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, according to Japanese media. Veteran lawmaker Nikai, 75, is a top executive in Prime Minister Shinzo…
“China and Japan should learn from European countries in reaching out to settle their disputes over wartime grievances, according to German ambassador to China, Michael Clauss, as Beijing prepares to commemorate the end of the second world war later this…
“Japan and China plan to hold in bilateral security talks in Tokyo as early as April — the first in four years between their foreign and defense ministries, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.”
“In order to win, Japan should give China a dose of its own medicine,” some argue, but could that lead to an arms race, increase distrust, exacerbate tensions in the region, and solve nothing in the end?
“Regional maritime disputes put Cambodia in an awkward spot. It must not take sides,” by Phoak Kung, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Mengly J. Quach Education
“Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned against whitewashing “past crimes of aggression” at a United Nations meeting, in a thinly-veiled barb at Japan’s nationalistic moves to downplay Tokyo’s wartime atrocities.” Click here for Kyodo News coverage. Click here for Yomiuri…
By Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies, Temple University Japan “Global understanding does not come cheaply. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government has budgeted ¥70 billion — yes, that’s more than $500 million — to help get the word out about…
“Japanese officials cried alarm on Sunday as Chinese patrol ships entered the waters of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, and Chinese officials vowed to increase their presence in the area.”
“Contemporary art has become borderless, with visual presentations coming to focus less on national identity and more on individuality. In what appears to be an attempt to go against this trend, Art Sonje Center is seeking to explore the national…
“The Chinese defense ministry said on Thursday that China and Japan have agreed to launch a maritime and aerial crisis management mechanism at an early date.”
“China’s education minister has vowed to ban university textbooks which promote “Western values”, state media said, in the latest sign of ideological tightening under President Xi Jinping.”
Op-Ed by Chris Devonshire-Ellis: “All in all, last year was a mixed bag when it came to assessing China’s relations with the rest of Asia, including in its own backyard of Hong Kong. What can be expected in 2015?”
On Monday, Nov. 24, South Korea conducted its annual or biannual defensive military drill around the Dokdo/Takeshima islets, triggering diplomatic protests from Japan. Click here for Korea Times article announcing the drill: “Joint Drill Planned Near Dokdo” Click here for…
Analysis of diplomatic language contained in document released Nov. 7. The document was intended to “smooth the way” for an ice-breaking meeting that took place Nov. 10 between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (By Hayashi Nozomu.)
Article by Wakamiya Yoshibumi, former chief editor of the Asahi Shimbun: tri-national debate exercise within context of “Campus Asia” program at Dongseo University, Busan, fosters understanding of counterpart perspectives over key international relations issues between China, Korea and Japan.
Editorial from Taiwan-based branch of China Times: “Japan’s attempts to downplay or even deny its atrocities during World War II is the biggest obstacle in China-Japan relations. In this regard, the responsibility of improving bilateral ties between the two countries…
Article on prospect of trilateral foreign ministerial summit: “Japanese and South Korean leaders have proposed holding a trilateral summit with their Chinese counterpart for the first time since 2012, their deputies said…”
Article from People’s Daily, November 13, 2014: China adopts middle school textbooks devoted on Nanjing Massacre one month ahead of national day of remembrance
Article from the New York Times, October 12, 2014: By Michael Fitzpatrick TOKYO — Japan’s simultaneous embrace of nationalism and cosmopolitanism is generating ambiguous signals from its education policy makers. They are rewriting textbooks along what they call “patriotic” lines, alienating…