Asia-America Issues
China-Japan Ties at All-time Low
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Until Japanese leaders stop paying officials visits to the Shinto shrine where the country's most notorious war criminals are buried, there can be "no true reconciliation" between China and Japan and bilateral military tensions will continue to rise, a leading Chinese scholar has predicted.
India Central to Future Economic Community - Expert
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON (IPS) — A surge of investment from nearby countries is transforming India into a major player in an emerging Asian economic community that could rival the European Union (EU) and North America in size and scope.
Angry Nationalism Emerging in North-east Asia
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Public opinion, not the power of government, is driving the emergence of an angry nationalism in North-east Asia, putting states on the defensive and adding an element of instability to a region nervous about North Korea's nuclear intentions, adjusting to China's rise as a superpower and chafing at Japan's continued refusal to own up to its wartime past.
Koizumi Will Leave Behind Mixed Legacy
WASHINGTON (IPS) — When Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi leaves office in September, he will leave a legacy of forceful leadership and strong United States-Japan ties.
'Soft Power' Rising
WASHINGTON (IPS) — The collapse of Japan's "bubble economy" in the 1990s and the country's subsequent decline as a global manufacturing power have created new openings for women in what used to be an extremely male-dominated society.
Washington Arena for China, Taiwan Views
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON (IPS) — In the days before Taiwan's voters rejected their government's increasingly confrontational stance toward mainland China, officials from Beijing and Taipei were here to promote their respective views on free trade.
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.
