Stephen Harner, Former US State Department Official
Jul 02, 2015
Japan’s Abe government is appealing to the nationalistic Japan Restoration Party to revise the constitution to permit the assembly of an army. Lyle J. Goldstein’s book, Meeting China Halfway—How to Defuse the Emerging U.S.-China Rivalry has important suggestions for avoiding a Japan-China military conflict.
May 13, 2015
Interactions among China, Japan and the United States have gone far beyond the constraints of political stereotypes. The flow of capital, material, technology and people has brought the countries ever closer together. Embracing common interests, not “balancing power”, is the key to peace and prosperity for all three.
Wu Zurong, Research Fellow, China Foundation for Int'l Studies
May 08, 2015
With US-Japan military cooperation as its main pillar, the deepening US military involvement in Asia goes against the world tide of peace and development, and against the will of the Asian people. The American government would do well to study the lessons of history as it cements its partnership with Tokyo.
Zheng Wang, Director of Center for Peace and Conflict Studies
Apr 16, 2015
70 years after the end of WWII, the ghost of historical conflict still haunts international relationships in East Asia. Historic consciousness, particularly regarding the sense of humiliation relating to the war experience, has been the crux of the nationalism experienced by these nations in East Asia, and used by elites as tools for political mobilization and other purposes. People must understand the importance the role of history education and social narrative play in international relations.
Feng Zhaokui, Honorary Academician, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Mar 20, 2015
Abe must understand – and the U.S. should exert pressure on him – that the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II is prime time for him to profoundly reflect on Japan’s wartime crimes. If Abe goes too far in the wrong direction, there will be no peace in the Asia-Pacific and the hard-won beginning of a Sino-Japanese détente may vanish.
Mar 20, 2015
International relations are traditionally conducted by national leaders, government officials, and diplomats. The power of citizen exchanges, or “people-to-peo
Wu Zhenglong, Senior Research Fellow, China Foundation for International Studies
Mar 11, 2015
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the WWII in the Pacific, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe plans to make a statement of apology, which is already drawing concerns from the international community. Abe’s denials and changes to historical accounts mean that an “Abe Statement” could turn out to be a declaration on Abe’s “proactive pacifism” rather than a statement on Japan’s remorse and apology.
Ted Galen Carpenter, Senior Fellow, Randolph Bourne Institute
Mar 05, 2015
Relations between Tokyo and Seoul have always been somewhat frosty, but recent developments are accentuating the animosity. Obama administration officials continue to press Seoul and Tokyo to resolve their differences on the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute, the comfort women issue, and other grievances. A comprehensive reconciliation between Seoul and Tokyo, U.S. leaders believe, is imperative to facilitate meaningful trilateral cooperation to deal with North Korea’s threatening behavior and China’s looming presence in the region.
Jan 16, 2015
Despite the low profile and low-level nature with no substantial results, that Chinese and Japanese defense and maritime officials did meet and talk means a lot
Feng Zhaokui, Honorary Academician, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Dec 05, 2014
The Xi-Abe meeting during APEC marked an important step towards improving relations between the two countries. One meeting is far from enough for the two to bridge fundamental differences on issues relating to history and territorial disputes, but the two sides importantly reached a principled consensus on managing their differences.