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Documents
A New Path for Japan By
Yukio Hatoyama
(New York Times, Aug. 27, 2009) Yukio Hatoyama heads the Democratic Party of Japan, and would
become prime minister should the party win in Sunday’s elections.
Government and Policy
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs very useful site
Foreign Policy Page Japan Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
House of Councilors (National Diet of Japan,
Sangi-in)
House of Representatives (National Diet of Japan,
Shugi-in)
The Constitution of Japan English translated
version
Japan-China Relations, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Japan
Overview - Japan-ASEAN
Relations
Permanent Mission of Japan
to the United Nations Japan's
position on issues, Japan's
Policy and Press Releases
Information and Research
NIRA (National Institute
for Research Advancement, Japan)
Japan Institute of
International Affairs (JIIA)
Japanese Journal Information
Web
The National
Security-Archive U.S.-Japan Project Papers on diplomatic,
security, and economic relations between the U.S.
and Japan
Japan Center for International Exchange (A nonprofit and
non-governmental institution, Japan)
Japan Policy Research
Institute (JPRI) U.S.-Japan relationship and its implications for the Pacific Rim
Japan Economic Institute of
America (JEI) information on Japanese economy, politics, foreign policy
and U.S.-Japan relations
Kyodo News Web
Japan Times
Japan Urged to View Taiwan Differently
(CNA, Dec. 25, 2009) Japan
should look at Taiwan
from a new perspective and develop a new relationship, as both countries have
changed, National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi said.
Ma Wishes to Boost Links
with Japan’s Ruling Party
(CNA, Dec. 15, 2009) President Ma Ying-jeou said that he hopes to increase links with Japan's
ruling Democratic Party, which he said would facilitate efforts to promote
Taiwan Japan ties.
For China, Japan Sets Aside
Royal Protocols
(Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 14, 2009) Haketa said he made an exception this time because it is,
after all, the government that rules Japan, not the Emperor. But he
added that “This is very sad. Something like this should not occur simply
because the other nation is considered important. This must never happen
again.”
High-Profile DPP Delegation
Visits Japan
(CNA, Dec. 14, 2009) A high-profile delegation
organized by Taiwan's main opposition party Democratic Progressive Party
arrived in Tokyo Sunday to reach out to Japanese politicians from across the political
spectrum.
Japan’s New Taiwan Envoy
(AFP, Dec. 5, 2009) Mr
Tadashi Imai, Japan's former ambassador to Israel and Malaysia, will be the
new head of the Interchange Association in Taipei, said a lawmaker of the ruling Kuomintang.
Taiwan-Japan Relations Firm
Despite Resignation: MOFA
(CNA, Dec. 3, 2009) Taiwan's
relations with Japan will
not be affected by the resignation of the Japanese representative to Taiwan,
an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Japanese Representative to
Taiwan Saito Resigns
(Taipei Times, Dec. 2, 2009) Japan’s Interchange Association — Tokyo’s representative
office — confirmed that Representative Masaki Saito has resigned .
Fishing Deal Signed with
Japan: COA
(CNA, Nov. 30, 2009) Taiwan
and Japan
will begin allowing on-board inspections of each other's fishing boats in
international waters from late December, according to the Fisheries
Administration under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture.
China, Japan Plan First
Joint Military Exercise
(Reuters, Nov. 27, 2009) Japan and China agreed
to conduct their first joint military training exercise, in the latest sign
of warming ties between the Asian neighbors.
Obama, Japanese Premier at
Odds over Air Station Negotiations
(Washington
Post, Nov. 17, 2009) The wrestling match between the United States and Japan
over the location of the U.S. Marine air station in Okinawa is far from
over—despite President Obama's chummy visit here with Japanese Prime Minister
Yukio Hatoyama.
Japanese Have Better Image
of Pres. Ma: JCCI Head Ogura
(CNA, Nov. 7, 2009) Businesspeople in Japan no
longer cling to President Ma’s past reputation as an anti-Japanese Tioyutai warrior but instead are convinced that Taiwan is
their best partner for developing the huge potential market in China.
Japan-Taiwan Talks Urged by JCCI
(CNA, Nov. 1, 2009) The normally reserved
Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) in Taipei
recently called on Taiwan
and Japan
to establish a channel for direct talks between officials at the ministerial
level.
Foreign Ministry Asks Japan
to Release Seized Boat
(China Post, Sep. 17, 2009) The foreign ministry
yesterday lodged a formal protest with Japan after a Taiwanese fishing boat
was seized by Japanese maritime patrol authorities near the Tiaoyutai islands.
Taiwan Boat Seized
(China Post, Sep. 15, 2009) Taiwan backed down in a brief confrontation on
the seas with Japan
yesterday morning, letting the Japanese seize a Danshui-based
sports fishing boat and take its skipper and his crew member prisoner.
Japan’s New Leader Reassures
U.S. on Alliance
(New York Times, Sep. 4, 2009) Scrambling to mend
fences with his country’s biggest ally, Japan’s next leader, Yukio Hatoyama, told President Obama and the United States
ambassador that the American alliance was the basis of Japanese foreign
policy.
MOFA Seeks Friends in
Japanese Diet
(Taipei
Times, Sep. 2, 2009) Just over half of the parliamentarians in the
Sino-Japanese Diet Members Conference lost their seats after Japanese voters
went to the polls on Sunday.
Election Won’t Affect
Taiwan, Japan Ties
(China
Post, Aug. 30, 2009) The Democratic Party of Japan is expected to sweep to a
landslide victory, but the change of government in Tokyo
won't affect relations between Japan
and Taiwan, Japan
watchers here said.
Ma Cool in Meeting with Envoy
(Taipei Times,
Aug. 12, 2009) While the president was very cordial to visiting Japanese
lawmakers, his displeasure with Tokyo’s
representative was clear.
Senate Confirms China, Japan
Ambassador Nominees
(AP, Aug. 7, 2009) The Senate confirmed Utah Gov.
Jon Huntsman as ambassador to China, giving the Republican the task of
nurturing a sometimes shaky relationship that President Barack Obama sees as
crucial to solving many of the world's most difficult crises.
Election Won’t Alter
Japan-U.S. Alliance: Commander
(AP, Jul. 28, 2009) The top commander for U.S.
troops in Japan brushed off any possible doubts Tuesday about the durability
of the U.S.-Japan security alliance, even if next month's parliamentary
elections put a different party in power.
Gov’t Still Urging Japan to
Recall Envoy on Remark
(China Post, Jul. 23, 2009) Taipei
is still mulling whether it will continue pressing Tokyo
to replace its de facto ambassador over his controversial remark about Taiwan's
sovereignty status, local reports said.
Japan’s Troop Movement Won’t
Affect Fishermen
(CNA, Jul. 10, 2009) MOFA said that it will not
comment on the Japan government's plan to move some of its troops from
Okinawa to Yonaguni Island near Taiwan's east
coast, but is confident that the plan will not affect the operations of
Taiwanese fishermen in the area.
Japan May Deploy Troops Near
Disputed Islands
(AFP, Jul. 2, 2009) Japan's defence
ministry is considering deploying troops on an island in the East China Sea
near a group of islets that is claimed by Tokyo, Beijing and Taipei,
according to a ministry spokesman.
No Plans to Seek Saito Recall:
Deputy Minister
(Taipei Times, May 6, 2009) The government has no
plans to demand that Tokyo
recall Interchange Association Representative Masaki Saito, Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs David Lin told a group of lawmakers.
KMT Lawmakers Call for
Recall of Japanese Envoy on Comments
(China
Post, May 3, 2009) Masaki Saito, Japan's Interchange Association representative
in Taipei, must be considered persona non
grata for stating in public the status of Taiwan has not been decided,
legislators of the ruling party said.
76% in Japan See Good
Relationship
(CNA, May 2, 2009) Three-quarters of Japanese
responding to a recent poll commissioned by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign
Affairs said that bilateral relations between Taiwan and Japan are good and
over 60 percent indicated they were interested in visiting Taiwan.
China, Iran Hit for Nuke
Secrecy
(Japan Times, Apr. 28, 2009) Shedding light on
China and Iran's secretive nuclear arms programs is key to advancing global
disarmament, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said
in Tokyo.
China Announces Visit by
Japanese Leader
(AP, Apr. 24, 2009) Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso will make an official visit to China next week, Beijing announced, a day after protesting
an offering given by the Japanese leader to a war shrine.
Japan Aims for Walking Robot
on the Moon by 2020
(AP, Apr. 3, 2009) Japan hopes to have a
two-legged robot walk on the moon by around 2020, with a joint mission
involving astronauts and robots to follow, according to a plan laid out by a
government group.
Japan Sends Navy to Join
Somalia Anti-Pirate Patrols
(Reuters, Mar. 13, 2009) Japan ordered two naval
vessels to join international patrols aimed at curbing pirate attacks off
Somalia, after months of deliberations on how to help protect cargo ships
without breaching its pacifist constitution.
Taiwan, Japan Reach Deal
After Ocean Incident
(Reuters, Feb. 28, 2009) Taiwan and Japan
agreed during talks in Taiwan
to share any urgent information about fishing boat activity and to let a pair
of non-governmental agencies hash out any disputes.
Japan Fishing Talks to be
Resumed After 4-Year Hiatus
(CNA, Feb. 18, 2009) Taiwan and Japan will hold
their 16th round of fisheries talks late this month in Taipei to search for a
solution to fishing rights issues in disputed waters,Tsai
Ming-yao, secretary-general of the quasi official
Association of East Asian Relations (AEAR), said.
Japan Orders Ships to Fight
Somalia Pirates
(AP, Jan. 27, 2009) Japan's
defense minister ordered the dispatch of ships to fight pirates off the shores of Somalia, joining countries ranging from the United States to Iran
to China
in the battle against the outlaws.
Taiwan to Woo Japan in 2009
(Reuters, Jan. 21, 2009) Taiwan will try to improve relations with Japan following strained ties
with its former colonial ruler since President Ma Ying-jeou
came to office, the government said.
Japan, China Meet Over Gas Row
(AFP, Jan. 9, 2009) JAPAN and China
held talks on a renewed row over gas fields in the East China Sea, a dispute
that has long clouded ties between Asia's
two biggest economies.
Talks with Japan on Fishing
Rights to Open Next Month
(Taipei Times, Jan. 7, 2008) The 16th round of
talks between Japan and Taiwan on fishing rights disputes will be held in
Taipei next month, MOFA said, but added that the matter of sovereignty over
the Diaoyutai islands would not be discussed.
Envoy to Japan Ready to
Upgrade Two-Way Ties
(CNA, Jan. 6, 2009) Taiwan's top envoy to Japan,
John C. T. Feng, promised to do his best to enhance
and cement ties between the two countries.
Japan Says China’s Gas
Drilling ‘Regrettable’
(Reuters, Jan. 5, 2009) Japan's foreign minister
said Tokyo had protested over Chinese gas drilling in a disputed East China
Sea field, which it called regrettable, and urged Beijing to resume talks
quickly.
U.S. Concerned about New
Japanese Premier Hatoyama By John Pomfret (Washington Post,
Dec. 29, 2009) Since the election, a series of canceled dinners, diplomatic
demarches, and publicly and privately broken promises from the new government
has caused new concern about the U.S. friendship with its closest
Asian ally.
Does Japan Still Matter? By
Fred Hiatt
(Washington
Post, Dec. 11, 2009) Japan
still matters. And despite the "crisis" set in motion by the
electoral defeat of the party that had ruled for half a century, the United States
has more to fear from Japanese defeatism than from the assertiveness of its
new government.
Japan to Give U.S. a Plan on
Air Base By Martin Fackler
(New York Times, Dec. 10, 2009) Japan’s prime
minister, Yukio Hatoyama, said that he wanted to
present concrete proposals to President Obama next week in hopes of ending a
growing rift between his new government and Washington over an American
military air base in Okinawa.
Report: Japan Suspends Talks
about U.S. Air Base By Blaine Harden (Washington Post, Dec. 9, 2009) A rift between the United States
and Japan over the future of a military air station on Okinawa widened, as
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada told Japanese media
that talks on relocating the base have been suspended.
U.S. Struggle to Keep Step
with Japan’s Shifting Foreign Policy By
John Pomfret and Blaine Harden (Washington
Post, Dec. 5, 2009) Daniel Sneider, a Japan
expert at Stanford University, said the United States has yet to really
take into account the significance of the political changes wrought by the
August election.
Japan’s Relationship with
U.S. Gets a Closer Look By Martin Fackler (New York Times, Dec.
2, 2009) This reconsideration is not a pulling away from the United States so
much as part of a broader, mostly domestic effort to outgrow Japan’s failed
postwar order, say political experts here.
Risky Business: U.S. Pressure Over Okinawa Base
Could Poison the Alliance By Ayako Doi (PacNet #71A, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Nov. 4, 2009) The tension
over the Security alliance created by Secretary of Defense Robert Gate’s
two-day stop in Tokyo late last month has casted a cloud over the prospects
for cooperation on the broad range of other issues.
Questions for Tokyo: Remember ANZUS? By Ralph A Cossa and Grad Glosserman (PacNet #71,
Pacific Forum, CSIS, Nov. 3, 2009) Facing a similar choice when an
anti-nuclear government came to power in New
Zealand in 1984, the U.S.
chose to let go of its long-standing ANZUS alliance and continue bilaterally
with Australia
alone.
Japan Cools to America As It
Prepares for Obama Visit By Helene Cooper (New York Times, Nov. 12, 2009) President Obama will arrive in Tokyo on Friday, at a time when America’s relations with Japan are at their most
contentious since the trade wars of the 1990s.
Why Pearl Harbor Is Still
Essential By James Holmes
(Taipei Times, Nov. 11, 2009) Pearl Harbor will
remain essential as long as the US
remains an Asian sea power — a status the US has no intention of
surrendering. But unless Washington manages
its alliance with Tokyo wisely, Hawaii could become a
bridge to nowhere.
Japan Minister Trip to U.S.
Not Set, Ties Strained By Chisa Fujioka
(Reuters, Nov. 2, 2009) A trip by Japan's foreign minister to Washington to try to soothe strained ties
was up in the air as doubts simmered over whether a feud about a military
base will be resolved before a visit by President Barack Obama.
Don’t Put US Credibility to
the Test By James Holmes
(Taipei Times, Oct. 26, 2009) US and Japanese
leaders must manage their alliance relations wisely, so as to reduce the
chances of a miscalculation that overstrains US extended deterrence. Let’s
not put US
credibility to the test.
Japan-U.S. Ties More
Important with China Rise: Minister By
Isabel Reynolds (Reuters, Oct. 15, 2009) Japan's alliance with the United States will become more important with China's
rise as a military power, Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said.
Japan Promotes Asian
Economic Bloc By Yuka Hayashi
(Wall Street Journal, Oct. 9, 2009) When the
leaders of China, Japan, and South Korea meet for a trilateral summit in Beijing,
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will try to
persuade his counterparts to share his vision that Asia needs its own
economic bloc.
Chinese Economic Juggernaut
Is Gaining on Japan By Hiroko Tabuchi (New York Times, Oct.
2, 2009) Many economists expect Japan to cede its rank as the
world’s second-largest economy sometime next year, as much as five years
earlier than previously forecast.
Japan’s ‘Change’ Agenda By
Fred Hiatt
(Washington Post, Sep. 28, 2009) Given the
diverse views within his ruling coalition, a degree of inconsistency should
come as no surprise. It may reflect, too, the ambivalence many Japanese feel.
China’s Hu, Japan’s Hatoyama
Agree to Extend Thaw in Relations By
Sachiko Sakamaki
(Bloomberg, Sep. 22, 2009) China’s
President Hu Jintao and Japan’s new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama agreed to push for closer ties between the two
erstwhile enemies at their first meeting in New York.
An Opening in Japan’s
Election By Yukio Okamoto
(Washington
Post, Sep. 18, 2009) When Hatoyama addresses the
U.N. General Assembly and participates in the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh next week, he must assure the world that Japan
will have continuity in its foreign policy.
Japan’s New Leader Seeks
Revision of Relations with U.S.
By Blaine Harden (Washington Post, Sep. 17, 2009) Hours after he became prime
minister, Yukio Hatoyama said he wants to change Japan's "somewhat passive"
relationship with the United
States and review the large American
military presence here.
Will Japan Finally Get a
Cabinet That Makes Policy? By Karel van Wolferen (YaleGlobal, Sep. 10, 2009) In the
past, Japan
rarely rocked the boat when it came to US geopolitical and strategic goals.
But this state of affairs is likely to change with election of the DPJ.
Sea-change in Japanese
Politics Offers Hopes for Better Ties with China By
Willy Lam(China Brief, Jamestown Foundation,
Sep. 10, 2009)
The ascendancy of the Democratic Party of Japan as
the new ruling party in the landslide general election on August 30 could
have a pivotal impact on the country’s relations with China.
A Rising Sun Sets By
Francesco Sisci
(Asia Times, Sep. 3, 2009) The landslide victory
on Sunday of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) over the Liberal Democratic
Party (LDP) is the latest signal of a momentous transformation in Asia.
U.S. Is Seeing Policy Thorns
in Japan Shift By Mark Landler and Martin Fackler (New York Times, Sep.
2, 2009) Japan’s
landmark election presents the Obama administration with an untested
government, creating a new set of imponderables for a White House already
burdened by foreign policy headaches.
Hatoyama Seeks
‘Yukio-Barack’ Rapport as He Plans to Woo China By
John Brinsley
(Bloomberg, Sep. 1, 2009) When Yukio Hatoyama
travels to the U.S. this month as Japan’s new prime minister, he’ll have a
chance to tell President Barack Obama just what he envisages in calling for a
“more equal alliance.”
With Bold Stand, Japan
Opposition Wins a Landslide By Martin Fackler (New York Times, Aug.
31, 2009) Japan’s voters handed a landslide victory to a party that
campaigned on a promise to reverse a generation-long economic decline and to
redefine Tokyo’s relationship with Washington.
A New Path for Japan By
Yukio Hatoyama
(New York Times, Aug. 27, 2009) Yukio Hatoyama heads the Democratic Party of Japan, and would
become prime minister should the party win in Sunday’s elections.
Japan Democrat Win Could
Warm China Ties By Chris Buckley
(Reuters, Aug. 27, 2009) The expected victory for
the opposition Democrats in Japan's election could open the way for a
tentative improvement in ties with China, with both powers keen to avoid
distractions from their economic priorities.
Japan’s Coming Election
Could Mean Its Withdrawal from the World By
Ko Mishima (YaleGlobal, Aug. 25, 2009) The result
of Japan’s upcoming election could be more than a test of confidence for the
ruling Liberal Democratic Party. It might determine the nature of the
country’s engagement with the world.
China’s Claims to an
Extended Continental Shelf in the East China Sea: Meaning and Implications By
James Manicom
(China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Jul. 9, 2009) While China’s submission to
the CLCS does strengthen its claim to the East China Sea, it does little to
bring the dispute to a cooperative end. As noted above, it could very well
exacerbate tensions in the area.
Taipei Nixes Protest Voyage
to Senkakus
(Kyodo, May 6, 2009) A planned protest voyage
from Taiwan to the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands was called off just hours
before the scheduled departure amid government pressure, according to one of
its organizers.
Japan and China Talk Up
Cooperation, Sidestep Tensions By Yoko Kubota (Reuters, Apr. 30, 2009) Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso held out agreements on fighting the financial crisis,
global warming and swine flu as evidence of deepening ties with sometime
rival China,
sidestepping tensions over the past.
Japan, China Summit to Focus
on Positive, Not Feuds By Yoko Kubota (Reuters, Apr. 28, 2009) Leaders of Japan
and China will be seeking
to send an upbeat economic message when they meet this week, tiptoeing around
a feud over a Tokyo
shrine for war dead.
Japan Set to Fire at N.
Korean Missile if Launch Goes Awry By
Blaine Harden (Washington Post, Mar. 28, 2009) Japan ordered its military on
Friday to destroy a North Korean missile or its debris if the launch fails
and falling pieces of the rocket imperil Japanese territory.
Japanese Military Assumes More
Global Role By Eric Talmadge
(AP, Mar. 22, 2009) The political leadership and
military planners _ with the blessing of Washington, their closest ally _ are
cautiously moving the military away from its longtime role as a stay-at-home
force.
Japan, China Must Get in
Tune on Security Issues
(Editorial, Yomiuri Shimbun,
Mar. 22, 2009) Differing perceptions between Japan
and China on key East Asia
security issues were again all too obvious during talks between the defense
ministers of the two nations in Beijing.
It is essential that both sides make efforts to narrow these gaps through
more frequent dialogues.
Obama ‘Panda-Huggers’ Stoke
Japan’s Anxiety Over U.S. Relations By
Bradley K. Martin and Sachiko Sakamaki (Bloomberg, Jan. 16,
2009) Paralyzed by a political stalemate that has given it three prime ministers
in two years and enmeshed in the first recession since 2001, Japan is now
suffering from an attack of angst over what is widely perceived to be the
U.S.’s greater focus on China.
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