Visible Minorities: Good Riddance to an Evil Man
Former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who died February 1, was an evil man. Any honest obituary would admit as such.
Tag Archives: East China Sea
Republic of China Nationalism in the Senkaku-Diaoyutai Dispute
A proposal by the Ishigaki city government in Okinawa, Japan, to rename the disputed Senkaku-Diaoyutai Islands in order to reaffirm Japanese claims of sovereignty over the islands has led to nationalistic responses in Taiwan from among members of the Nationalist Party (KMT) and members of the Pan-Blue camp.
Japan Communist Party on China’s “Great Power Chauvinism”
Japan Communist Party Chair Kazuo Shii has presented his party’s views on China and the Chinese Communist Party as part of the 28th Party Congress held in Atami on January 14 to 18.
The Year in Japanese Politics 2012
The Shingetsu News Agency has been keeping a running log of the major developments in Japanese politics since January 2012. The following is our contemporary account of the entire year 2012.
Taro Kono Skewers Opposition Lawmaker
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on February 2, 2018.
Henoko: A Needless Military Base
Futenma Marine Corps Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa, must close—on that much everyone agrees. But the insistence by the United States and the Japanese central government on building a replacement facility in another part of Okinawa is bitterly opposed by Okinawa’s people and prefectural government.
The ‘China Threat’ Narrative Stumbles
The Mainichi Shinbun has opened the year with a blockbuster exclusive news story that is likely to be underplayed, or even ignored, by most of the rest of the Japanese media. One of the biggest headlines in November 2013 was the public announcement by Beijing that it was establishing an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over a large swathe of the East China Sea.
Chinese Air Zone Exposes US-Japan Limits
Beijing’s declaration of an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) covering the Senkaku-Diaoyu Islands and part of the waters between Japan and Taiwan has prompted a strong reaction from Tokyo and, generally speaking, has left nobody in East Asia indifferent.
Robot Wars in the Pacific?
The appearance on September 9 of an unmanned airplane near the Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims under the name Diaoyu, was just one of many incidents reported by the media over the last few weeks. However, it attracted the attention of observers who wondered whether this was a harbinger of things to come. On the one hand, it was just a matter of time until this kind of weapon would be deployed by the various powers in the Asia-Pacific region, where rumors about its presence already abounded.
Abe’s Trip to Southeast Asia
The run up to the House of Councillors election in Japan, when opinion polls were already pointing to a victory by the ruling party, saw widespread speculation over a more robust foreign and defense policy by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This included the possibility of amending Article 9 of the Constitution. News of the election results only served to prompt renewed speculation. However, Abe’s first overseas trip after the polls — to Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines — seemed to confirm that Tokyo would proceed with a gradual and pragmatic “normalization,” rather than embark on radical change.
