Excerpts from the Original Essay: In addition to China’s rise, the decline of Japan has caused the balance of power between Japan and China to shift markedly over recent decades. Some analysts find it distracting to describe Japan’s situation as “decline.” As a leading expert, Gerald L. Curtis of Columbia University, correctly pointed out on a Council on Foreign Relations blog last year, “if you think about living standards and the quality of the air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat, the health care and other social services you receive, and the number of years you can expect to live, the answer is obvious: better to live in ‘declining’ Japan... [Read more]

1. Introduction The security situation in East Asia is becoming unstable. The People’s Republic of China (PRC), with its continuing military build-up, has increased its maritime presence and heightened tensions with neighboring countries in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. In particular, since the Japanese government nationalized the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu Islands in the PRC) in the East China Sea in September 2012, the PRC has frequently sent government ships to waters near the islands. In January 2013, a PRC navy warship directed fire-control radar at a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer in these waters, causing... [Read more]

Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura of Keidanren (the Japan Business Federation) said in September 2012 that the government should admit the existence of a “territorial dispute” over the Senkaku Islands. In a policy agreement between the Japan Restoration Party and the Sunrise Party for the latest general election, furthermore, they said they would prompt China to take the question of the Senkaku Islands to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, it should be noted that the ICJ is an international tribunal tasked with settling “legal disputes” – but not “political disputes” – between nations. If Japan refers the Senkaku problem to the ICJ, it will mean Japan’s admission of the... [Read more]

Joint Declaration of Citizens from Japan and China Today – Sept. 29, 2012 – is the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the People’s Republic of China. In the past 40 years, Japan and China have cooperated with each other to achieve remarkable economic growth and development. When we look back at this outcome, we’d like to express our appreciation to the people whose efforts achieved this normalization of diplomatic relations. Japan and China which are only separated by a narrow stretch of water share a long history of interaction and amity. It has been a significant achievement for both... [Read more]

Sharing Vision of Peace, Civilization, Friendship With the objective of promoting development and friendship between Japan and China, “The New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century” was formed in 2003 as a private advisory panel to both governments. The foundation of the council was agreed on at a Japan-China summit held in May the same year. For five years up to 2008, I was involved as the chairman of the Japanese side. Although I had relations with China on a business basis, I myself was not an expert on China. But I undertook the duty partly... [Read more]

Three experts on Japan-China relations, who have held talks with Chinese intellectuals on various occasions, discussed on Oct. 3 the background to bilateral relations that have soured in the face of the Senkaku Islands issue and ways of resolving the problem. The three agreed that Japan and China still have a long way to go before they can settle the Senkaku issue and now need to work out an agreement to avoid a military clash. They also said that while reasonable and cool-headed attitudes are indispensable... [Read more]

(The following speech was given by Mr. Kudo at the Council of Councils’ Asia Regional Conference held in Singapore on Oct. 31, 2012) I would like to briefly express my thoughts on how we can achieve a peaceful solution to the Senkaku Islands issue (Diaoyu in Chinese), which is becoming a source of grave conflict between Japan and China. Let me clarify my basic stance on this matter. This statement expresses my personal opinions and does not represent the Japanese government’s official position. But the aim of my statement is same as the government’s position in that we are keen to... [Read more]

Japan and China have fallen into a state of serious antagonism, despite this year marking the 40th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations. This unstable situation was triggered by a set of events that occurred around the Senkaku Islands, which lie in the middle of the East China Sea. The problem of the Senkakus has become a major obstacle in achieving a rational approach to building a strategic partnership of mutual benefit between the two countries. The following is a historical review of cooperation and discord over the East China Sea between Japan and China prior to this year’s major stalemate.... [Read more]

The Meaning of “Pacific Century” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed the importance of the Asia-Pacific region in a speech she delivered under the title of “America’s Pacific Century” at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Hawaii in November last year. Asia accounts for about half of the world’s population and has several of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies. It also has the world’s leading ports and seaways. The U.S. Government is aiming to re-strengthen its relationship with the region under President Barack Obama, America’s first “Pacific President.”... [Read more]

What is needed at this moment in time is a call for wisdom to relativize and sectionalize the Senkaku issue. There is also a need to acknowledge the route toward “power politics” and “peaceful emergence” in China. Historical Background to Overheating Takeshima Issue Japan has long been saddled with two territorial problems since the end of World War II – the Northern Territories and Takeshima Islands. Since around 1970, this has grown to three with the addition of the issue of the Senkaku Islands. At present, all of them have become suddenly and acutely exacerbated.... [Read more]