2004
Japan Finally Growing Up, Says Former Premier
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Nov 24 (IPS) — Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the maverick politician who has been running Japan since 2001, has broken important barriers that previously prevented Japan from taking its place in world affairs as a "normal nation", according to one of Japan's elder statesmen.
With U.S. Troop Cuts, Ties Can Deepen — or Decline
WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (IPS) — The planned reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea is an opportunity for Washington-Seoul ties to mature or decline, depending on whether ties can go beyond the narrow security issues that have driven the relationship for decades.
Japan on Path to Unprecedented Reform — Experts
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON — The Cabinet shuffle in Japan late September is a strong indication that the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has embarked on an unprecedented period of rapid economic and political change since the end of World War II, say experts.
Japan's Constitution Hinders Ties to Indonesia — Diplomat
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON — Japan's commitment to help Indonesia train its police and upgrade its sea defences may be compromised by Japan's constitutional ban on participating in military actions overseas, according to a senior Indonesian diplomat.
U.N. Study Could Spark Debate on Japan's Overseas Role
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON — Japanese diplomats hope that an international review of the United Nations, scheduled for completion in December, will set the stage for a long-awaited debate on Japan's role in the United Nations and its disproportionate financial contributions to U.N. peacekeeping operations.
Taiwan Paramount in China’s Approach to U.S.
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON — The Chinese government is fully committed to working with the international community to support economic and political stability in East Asia, but would be willing to sacrifice those principles if Taiwan tried to break away from the mainland and create an independent state, according to a leading Chinese foreign affairs analyst.
Asia Shifting Toward Economic Regionalism
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON — Led by Japan and China, the disparate nations of East Asia are in the midst of a free trade revival that could create one of the world's largest economic blocs.
Deft Chinese Diplomacy Reflects Asian Dynamism
Analysis by Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON — China denounces U.S. trade policy as protectionist one day after the Bush Administration threatens to take Beijing to the World Trade Organisation for coddling its semiconductor industry.
Japan, U.S. Send Confusing Signals on Korea
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON — North Korea's apparent acquisition of nuclear weapons and its admission last year that it had abducted scores of Japanese citizens over the past two decades has transformed the political outlook of many Japanese, driving even cautious diplomats to take positions further to the right of the Bush administration.
Japan, China, U.S. Ties at High Point
Analysis by Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON — On Sunday, Feb. 8, dozens of troops from the Japanese Self-Defence Forces crossed the Kuwaiti frontier into Iraq. The troops, who arrived in a long convoy of armoured vehicles, trucks, personnel carriers and an ambulance, are the first of a contingent of around 800 personnel Japan has sent to support the U.S. occupation force in Iraq.
