“South Korea and Japan were to hold talks on Tokyo’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II on Monday as the two historical rivals make efforts to improve their strained ties in a landmark year, Seoul’s foreign ministry…
“China should stop fixating on Japan’s wartime past and focus on improving future cooperation, Japan’s top government spokesman said Monday. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was responding to a comment by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang who said yesterday that…
Commentary by Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies, Temple University Japan. “Next month Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will attend the 60th commemoration of the 1955 Bandung Conference of Asian and African leaders in Jakarta… There are other reasons why Abe’s participation…
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…
Presumably democratic governments have at times used states of emergency or “states of exception” (see Giorgio Agamben’s work) in order to ramp up militarily assertive rhetoric, and to claim the right or necessity to suspend or modify existing legal boundaries in order to increase their power.…
“Public confidence in China’s military is higher than ever. According to a public opinion poll, an overwhelming majority of Chinese citizens think the People’s Liberation Army is capable of facing and beating the United States if it comes to that…
“Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has never used the word “apology” on the issue of the country’s sexual enslavement of women during World War II and is unlikely to do so in a statement marking the 70th anniversary of the…
“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…
“Taiwan has declined China’s pitch for joint participation in activities to mark the 70th anniversary of World War II’s final year.”