Given her family's history in diplomacy and government, it is no surprise that high hopes have been set for Caroline Kennedy, nominated to be the US Ambassador to Japan. As tensions between the United States, China and Japan continue to heighten, Dr. Jin Ying analyzes the high expectations set for Kennedy's new position.

Identifying six legitimate maritime interests for China in the South China Sea, Shen Dingli explains how China perceives its current territorial disputes and offers recommendations for easing tensions in the region.

China may view Ms. Kennedy’s appointment as a show of favoritism shown to Japan, but the move should still be welcomed in Beijing. An Ambassador Kennedy would not only be an asset in improving US - Japan relations, but would also be invaluable in bringing Japan to the table to resolve conflicts with its neighbors.

Congressional involvement in foreign policy can cause difficulties for any U.S. administration. Recent resolutions passed regarding the South and East China Seas and their territorial disputes, although seemingly harmless, carry a deep undertone and may be thrusting the U.S. government further into a regional issue that it cares to be involved.

The decisive election victory of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, New Komeito, gives the ruling coalition control of both houses of the Diet for the first time in six years. While the election is seen as an embrace of ‘Abenomics,’ Stephen Harner urges Abe to reform his nationalist policies.

How vital is resolution of the Senkaku/Diaoyu territorial dispute to Sino-US relations? As Stephen M. Harner explains, the United States has undertaken high-level exchanges with key influencers in Japan in an attempt to pressure Japan to concede on the issue.

The dispute over territory in the South China Sea has become a flashpoint for Asian regional politics. China’s policy has used both big and small-stick diplomacy to assert its claim to the region. In doing so, it has formed a new normality for the region.

As a rising power, China must face growing frictions. To peacefully progress, Zhang Tuosheng explains, China must do three things. First, it must utilize the effective policies since “reform and opening up.” Next, it must seek to redefine the “great power structure” of the world on multiple levels. Finally, it must build its means to manage crises.

Liu Jiangyong writes that the Sino-Japanese dispute over the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands has entered a new stage; and disputes Japanese claims, saying that China will not shelve the issue unilaterally.

The growing aggression in Japanese economic and security strategies now places China in a pivotal situation to maintain power. As tensions rise, both Japan and China look to the United States to balance the issues and work towards resolution.