Japan

The situation in the Asia Pacific fundamentally depends on a system of relations within a strategic triangle, with the three leading regional and world powers — the United States, China and Japan — at each of the three corners of the triangle. This thesis needs a little…

The annual meeting of political leaders of countries from twenty of the world’s leading world economies (The Group of 20, G-20DahJTkfw will be held this time on June 28-29 in the Japanese city of Osaka. However, there are already reasons to discuss both the significance of the G-20 forum, as well as current issues that will be presented for review to its executive body, which is what a “Summit” is…

On 1 April, Chief Cabinet Secretary (i.e. head of the executive body under the Prime MinisterDahJTkfw, Yoshihide Suga, showed journalists two kanji characters, written in calligraphy, that represent the name of the country’s new epoch. They have been adopted from ancient Japanese poetry, and in Latin alphabet…

On February 24th the residents of Okinawa voted in a “symbolic referendum”, i.e. one which is purely an expression of opinion, with no obligation on anyone to take any notice of its outcome. In this, they voted heavily against the relocation of the Futenma base, despite the fact…

On 24 February a referendum was staged on the issue of relocating the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the center of Ginowan (with approximately 100,000 residentsDahJTkfw to Okinawa Island’s bay area near the scarcely populated village of Henoko. The decision to hold the referendum…

As the USA and North Korea meet in Vietnam to discuss the possibility of a peace treaty between the two after decades of hostility against North Korea from the USA, the governments of Russia and Japan are engaged in talks about concluding a peace treaty to formally end the war between them that began during the Second…

According to Japan’s ministry of defense, Tokyo has recently adopted a set of guidelines aimed at strengthening its national defense potential over the course of next decade. It is estimated that over the period of the next five years, Japan will have to spend on…

The trends in Japan’s foreign policy that have been evident over the last few months have continued to play out, and in fact, intensified in January 2019. It is worth noting that Japan is one of several key players in the global political game during the current “post-Cold War”…

1 January 2019 marked the third day since the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPPDahJTkfw came into force. Irrespective of what will happen during this whole, still new year, the aforementioned event will remain among the most…

There used to be a pair of beautiful swings for children, not far from an old rural temple in Mie Prefecture, where I used to frequently powerwalk, when searching for inspiration for my novels. Two years ago, I noticed that the swings had gotten rusty, abandoned, and unkempt. Yesterday…

In recent months, Japan has borne witness to a series of various important events occurring with a greater frequency. And as they become increasingly staggered, processes within the nation’s political life begin to speed up as a result. We could refer, for instance, to the issue (discussed on numerous…

It goes without saying that territorial disputes have always been a major cause of aggravation in bilateral relations between nations, but in the last couple decades this topic has become even more acute. As of today, more than 50 international players have unsettled…