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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What Japan expects of Ambassador KWON Chulhyun
By OE Shinobu
Professor of Edogawa University
Mr. KWON Chulhyun, South Korean Ambassador to Japan returned to post on August 5 after 3 weeks of recall in protest against the inclusion of the disputed Takeshima (Dokdo in Korean) islets in Japan's new educational guidelines for junior high social studies. On his return to post, he sparked controversy by stating that " nobody could say with confidence if we can make happen" a Japan-China-South Korea summit meeting which is scheduled this month in Tokyo. I quite doubt that a series of his recent remarks, such as his menacing allusion to the denial of Japan-Korea cooperation in the last Six-party Talks, or his reference to above summit meeting as if it is taken as hostages, are well-considered. Objectively speaking, South Korea's diplomatic relations with North Korea are at a deadlock and is not in a position to talk knowingly about "cooperation."
This first summit meeting among the three countries is "above" the Takeshima disputes, or in totally another dimension. If South Korea is trying to make a political capital of this meeting, odds are against her. In a rapidly decelerating world economy, South Korea is most likely to suffer a major blow without cooperation with Japan. It just so happens that the US Board on Geographic Names, which is an official body in US, had the indiscretion to backtrack its decision to change the status of Takeshima from "South Korean" to "nondesignated sovereignty" after protests from South Korea. There is a smoldering criticism in Japan against this move as "opportunist chops and changes."
This move, however in hindsight, turned out to be a momentum to placate the sentiment of South Korea, both public and private, and to allay the wave of criticism against Japan. We sincerely hope that Ambassador KWON takes the advantage of this chops and changes of the US as political windfall and aims to achieve for a dignified Japan-Korean relations.
(This is the English translation of an article which originally appeared on the BBS "Hyakka-Somei" of CEAC on 11 August, 2008, and was posted on "CEAC Commentary" on 24 September, 2008.)
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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.49 What Japan Should and Could Do for Development Aid to Africa
by IRIYAMA Akira, Guest Professor of Cyber University, and Executive Research Advisor of International Development Center of Japan
(22 August, 2008)
No.48 On the Historically Significant Agreement on Joint Development of Gas Fields between Japan and China
by SAKURADA Jun, Associate Professor of Toyo Gakuen University
(21 July, 2008)
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)
"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 29th Policy Plenary Meeting Held to Discuss "Positions of the United States and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in an East Asian Community"
The 29th Policy Plenary Meeting of the Council on East Asian Community (CEAC) was held on 15 October at the conference room of the Japan Forum on International Relations to discuss "Positions of the United States and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in an East Asian Community." Dr. JIMBO Ken, Member of CEAC and Associate Professor of Keio University, and Prof. YAMAZAWA Ippei, Member of CEAC and Professor Emeritus of Hitotsubashi University, made keynote reports respectively, which were followed by an active exchange of views among Members of CEAC.
For more, please refer to:
http://www.ceac.jp/e/policy-summary/029.html
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Officer in Charge: KIKUCHI Yona
The Council on East Asian Community
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