“China is trying hard to get world leaders to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Beijing this year, including a military parade, but some diplomats said President Xi Jinping could be left…
“Amid increasing Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, Japan today sought enhanced cooperation with India in defence and security sector including in the field of maritime security.”
“The passage of time is supposed to dull even the most vicious hatreds. One of the most disturbing trends in recent geopolitics is that, instead, it seems to be sharpening them…”
“”Historians may record March 2015 as the moment when China’s checkbook diplomacy came of age,” said Paul Taylor and William James at Reuters. Beijing has spent several years trying to persuade Western nations to join its Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB),…
“The U.S. government, Congress and academics have a very “solid” consensus that Japan should stop its attempts to gloss over its wartime wrongdoings, namely the issue of sex slavery, the South Korean ambassador to Washington said Thursday.”
By Nippon’s Editor in Chief, Kawashima Shin: “We in Japan see our country’s seven-decade postwar period as having begun on August 15, 1945. But China focuses on September 3 as its V-J day, while Taiwan has celebrated October 25 as…
“The US may want to edge Australia into a trilateral arrangement to support Japan in any showdown with China. Of course, this may not be a considered US strategy, or a particularly high priority. It should nonetheless be a goal…
“In advance of a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, U.S. lawmakers are pushing Japan to set straight its approach to wartime history, which has frozen relations with neighboring Asian countries.”
“Finally, while this may not be a popular topic within the Japanese government, the most productive long-term investment for Japan could be an investment in improving its relations with Korea and China. Public diplomacy programs that foster cultural exchanges among…
“The Japan-South Korea rift has complicated U.S. efforts to forge a stronger security alliance against common foe North Korea and to U.S. strategy aimed at countering China’s rise. Japan and South Korea host 80,000 U.S. troops, the backbone of America’s…
“An organization for former U.S. prisoners of the Japanese and a Korean-American forum say Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should only be invited to address the U.S. Congress during an expected visit if he acknowledges Japan’s World War Two past.”
“The North Korean leadership will come to Moscow in May for the celebration of victory in World War II, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced. If Kim Jong-un pays a visit in person, this would be his first foreign…
Op-Ed by Wang Ping, researcher in Japan studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: “The war anniversary is an opportunity for Abe to befriend the neighbors and the world. As much as he hates to, Abe is expected to confess…
“Indonesia can do much in the position of facilitator. We are trusted by the three nations. They are vital to our economy and an easing of tensions in the East China Sea will help create a similar atmosphere on the…
“During the assault, Kim screamed a slogan in favour of reunifying the divided Korean peninsula, and later shouted his opposition to the joint US-South Korean military drills that began the same week. The annual exercises always trigger a surge in…
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel will skip a Moscow military parade in May commemorating the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany but hold a separate ceremony at the Kremlin the next day, a balancing act showing the complexities of…
“North Korea has declared 2015 a “year of friendship” with Russia amid efforts to boost ties and cultural exchange as the countries mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, North Korea’s official news agency was quoted…
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a courtesy call March 9 on Emperor Akihito, during which they talked about topics related to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.”
“Tokyo and Taipei have agreed to amend fishing regulations in a landmark pact covering waters off a cluster of Taiwan-claimed, Japan-administered islands in the East China Sea, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday.”
“Officials in China were tight-lipped about whether Japanese and U.S. leaders will be invited to a parade to show off its military prowess on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.”
“Washington said on Monday that there has been no change in U.S. policy, part of an attempt to rectify controversial remarks made by an American diplomat that seemed to position the United States with Japan on historical issues with its…
Michael Cucek: “…If, after the deployment of all the experience and knowledge of the commission, Abe fails to hit the expected notes and to transcend the Murayama Statement, the letdown felt by those governments, and the damage done to Japan’s…
“The Japanese government has tried to mislead the public by denying involvement in any acts of wartime aggression, former Russian ambassador to Japan told Xinhua in a recent interview.”
“South Korean politicians and media have criticized recent comments by a senior U.S. official, saying she appeared to be taking sides with Japan in historical and other disputes with its neighbors South Korea and China.”