Pursuing Understanding
Today, for Japanese and international society as a whole, understanding the United States is crucial. What is the United States all about as a nation? What sort of people are Americans? These questions are basic and involve judgments that cannot be made from simplistic images summed up in a nutshell.
In Japan as elsewhere, discussion of post 11 September 2001 Bush administration diplomacy revolves around such keywords as "neoconservatism" and "the new imperialism." In November 2002, while the gaze of international society was focused on the movements of the world's sole remaining superpower, the United States, Gaiko Forum, with the cooperation of the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C., held a symposium aimed at adding to understanding of the United States among the journal's readers. Bringing together leading figures with long experience in the fields of diplomacy, national security, and military affairs, the discussion resulted in close observations from both inside and outside the administration on the changes that have taken place in White House foreign policy strategies. By the time this manuscript is seen by our readers, the world is sure to be watching yet further developments in Bush administration diplomacy.
The summit meeting between Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro and Democratic People's Republic of Korea Chairman Kim Jong Il in September 2002 was a landmark event in postwar Japanese diplomacy. Starting with the unexpected apology by Chairman Kim for the kidnappings of Japanese nationals and the incursions of spy ships into Japanese waters, and continuing with the signing of the Pyongyang Declaration, as well as the return to Japan of five kidnapping victims and North Korea's declaration that it will continue to develop nuclear weapons technology, still further surprises are likely to emerge from now on as well. What kind of diplomacy should Japan conduct with such an unpredictable state, a close neighbor with which Japan has no official diplomatic ties and which the United States has labeled part of the "axis of evil"? The article by the foreign ministry official in charge at the time detailing the process that led to that visit is itself an unprecedented account.
In 2002, China and Japan celebrated thirty years since normalization of diplomatic relations. Now they must move beyond simple ties of friendship and enter a new and more mature relationship. The appearance of new leaders on the scene promises a valuable step in that direction.
What challenges will Japanese foreign policy face in 2003? The responsibility of this journal in helping readers better understand the complexities of foreign policy issues grows greater than ever.
Ito Misako
get
Acrobat
Reader
The
United States as the World' sOnly Superpower
--Gaiko Forum in Washington,
D.C./Peter
Brookes, Kurt Campbell,and Thomas Donnelly/Agawa Naoyuki
(moderator)
Bringing together a key figure in Japan--U.S. relations today, a neo-conservative advocate, and an expert on homeland security with experience in active naval duty during the 1991 Gulf War, Gaiko Forum held a symposium at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. in November 2002 to consider how American foreign affairs has changed under the Bush administration.
Leadup to the Signing of the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration/Hiramatu Kenji
September 17, 2002, when Japanese prime minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro flew to Pyongyang for summit talks with DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader tendered apologies for the kidnapping of Japanese nationals and incursions of North Korean spy boats in Japanese waters. This article explains how this unprecedented meeting between the two leaders was decided on and considers how it will be viewed in history.
Beyond Normalization:Thirty Years of Sino-Japanese Diplomacy/Kokubun Ryosei
Under the banner of Sino-Japanese friendship, Japanユs diplomacy toward China over the thirty years since diplomatic relations were normalized in 1972 may have been overly sentimental; today's realities call for new structures to facilitate cooperative working relations between the two countries.
View from the Economic World:Japan's Security Issues/Kohsaka Setsuzo
Why do more than 90 percent of the voices from Japan's business world call for revision of the Japanese Constitution and make an issue of Article 9? Business flourishes best and the economy grows only as long as there is peace. It is Japan's corporate soldiers who have made it possible for the country to survive the numerous crises it has faced overseas.
Energy Security and Japan's Foreign Policy Options/Shikata Noriyuki
As the world faces the crisis of another possible war in the Middle East, energy security looms as an urgent issue for all nations, including Japan. Benefiting from the perspective of past experience, the author offers proposals for Japan to consider.
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