Greetings,
"The Council on East Asian Community (CEAC) E-Letter" is delivered electronically once every month, free of charge, to readers in the world interested in Japanese thinking on an East Asian Community and other related international affairs by the Council on East Asian Community (CEAC), all-Japan intellectual platform for the study of an East Asian Community.
It will provide the global audience with our news on "CEAC Commentary of the Month" and "CEAC Updates."
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ITO Kenichi
President, CEAC
"CEAC Commentary of the Month"
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"CEAC Commentary of the Month" presents a monthly publication of views of members of CEAC on an East Asian Community and other related international affairs. The views expressed herein are the author's own and should not be attributed to CEAC.
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On the Historically Significant Agreement on Joint Development of Gas Fields
between Japan and China
By SAKURADA Jun
Associate Professor of Toyo Gakuen University
Taiwan stiffened its attitude towards Japan. When the collision occurred between a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat and a Taiwanese fishing vessel off the Senkaku Islands, the Taiwanese government suggested that it would go to war with Japan. On the other hand, about the conflicting interests in East China Sea, the governments of Japan and China have agreed to jointly develop gas fields, which had been a pending problem between the two countries. Since ancient times, territories and natural resources have been major sources for conflicts among people because they are closely linked with a human's desire to wealth. A conflict has come to the fore again in the relationship with Taiwan whereas it has been overcome in the relationship with China.
If we look back over the history, the Schuman Plan in 1950, which was the origin of European integration, was made for the cooperative management of natural resources such as coals and iron ores in the Alsace-Lorraine (Elsass-Lothringen) region where Germany and France share boarders. The history of European integration, leading to the establishment of EU which has 27 member states as of the beginning of 2007, is an experiment in human history. Of course, from the viewpoint of France which was skeptical of the future possibility of Germany to rearm itself, Schuman Plan was a plan to put a hoop on Germany under the framework of Europe.
Taking the European experience into consideration, the joint development of gas fields can become a chance for both Japan and China to promote self-control in the sense that neither country will act selfishly or allow the other to do so. Even though "doing something jointly" sounds like flowery words, what it requires is the patience with each other.
Therefore, I believe that this time agreement between Japan and China is of extreme importance. I have been skeptical about the perspective that Asia would follow the same path of integration as Europe. However, such perspective would never be an empty wish if we succeed in the joint management of natural resources. How to concretely pile up such cooperative measures is one of the vital challenges for the Japanese diplomacy.
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For more views and opinions in the backnumber of "CEAC Commentary," the list of which for the past six months is as follows, please refer to:
http://www.ceac.jp/e/commentary/backnumber.html
No.47Japan-China Relationship Entered New Stage
by SHINDO Eiichi, Professor Emeritus of Tsukuba University
(25 June, 2008)
No.46 Make Better Use of APEC for Building East Asian Community
by YAMAZAWA Ippei, Professor Emeritus of Hitotsubashi University
(26 May, 2008)
No.45 Ethnic Problem and Community Building
by TAKITA Kenji, Professor of Chuo University
(16 April, 2008)
No.44 Establishment of a "Food Safety" system in East Asia
by YASUE Noriko, Professor of Ritsumeikan University
(12 March, 2008)
No.43 Will the U.S-Japan Alliance Become Dispensable?
by SUZUKI Keisuke, Member of the House of Representative
(Lieberal Democratic Party)
(13 February 2008)
"CEAC Updates"
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"CEAC Updates" introduces to you latest events, announcements and/or publications of CEAC.
Event
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The 6th Annual Conference and the 9th Country Coordinators Meeting of Network of East Asia Think-tanks (NEAT) Held
The 6th Annual Conference (AC) and the 9th Country Coordinators Meeting (CCM) of NEAT were held in Bali, Indonesia from August 24-25, 2008, hosted by Centre for East Asian Corporation Studies (CEACoS) of Indonesia University. Around 50 representatives and experts from the 11 ASEAN+3 nations participated.
There were nine participants from Japan, who were ITO Kenichi, President of the Council on East Asian Community (CEAC) and President & CEO of Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR), HIRONO Ryokichi, Vice President of CEAC and Professor Emeritus of Seikei University, KAWAI Masahiro, Member of CEAC and Dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute, NARITA Hironari, Member of CEAC and Professor of Ohkagakuen University, OGASAWARA Takayuki, Member of CEAC and Professor of Yamanashi Gakuin University, SHINDO Eiichi, Vice President of CEAC and Professor Emeritus of Tsukuba University, YAMAZAWA Ippei, Member of CEAC and Professor Emeritus of Hitotsubashi University, MURAKAMI Masayasu, Executive Vice President of CEAC and Executive Director of JFIR, and NAKAJIMA Takahiko, Officer in Charge in JFIR.
For more, please refer to:
http://www.ceac.jp/e/neat.html
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Officer in Charge: WATABE Keiko
The Council on East Asian Community
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