Japan

Ask CFR Experts

What is the way forward for the territorial disputes in the East China Sea?

Asked by Go Katayama, from New York University

The East China Sea is a source of vital resources, especially fisheries and natural resources like gas and oil. Regional cooperation on fisheries conservation as well as joint energy development projects could go a long way to offsetting tensions over territorial disputes.

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See more in China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Sovereignty

Audio

Japan’s Great Earthquake: Societal Resilience and Determination to Reconstruct (Audio)

Speaker: Masaaki Shirakawa
Presider: William J. McDonough

Masaaki Shirakawa, governor of the Bank of Japan, discusses the effects the March earthquake, tsunami, and events surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant had on the Japanese economy, as well as the resilience and adaptability of the Japanese people.

This meeting was part of the C. Peter McColough Series on International Economics.

See more in Japan, International Finance

Audio

Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: Session One: Global Transformations and the U.S.-Japan Partnership (Audio)

Speakers: Michael A. Levi and Akihiko Tanaka
Introductory Speaker: Richard N. Haass
Presider: Yoichi Funabashi

Listen to experts reflect on global challenges such as the rise of China, climate change, and energy security and how these affect the U.S.-Japan partnership.

This session was part of the CFR Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change, cosponsored with the Asahi Shimbun.

See more in Japan, U.S. Strategy and Politics

Audio

Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: Session Three: Ensuring Stability in Northeast Asia (Audio)

Speakers: Elizabeth C. Economy, Sheila A. Smith, Gary Samore, and Hitoshi Tanaka
Presider: Evans J.R. Revere

Listen to experts discuss how the United States and Japan can address critical security issues in northeast Asia, including the Six-Party Talks with North Korea.

This session was part of the CFR Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change, cosponsored with the Asahi Shimbun.

See more in Japan, Defense Strategy, Weapons of Mass Destruction

Audio

Japan Update (Audio)

Speakers: Michael J. Green, G. John Ikenberry, and Kenneth B. Pyle
Presider: George R. Packard

Listen to experts reflect on Japan's foreign policy in recent decades and discuss its changing position in the world today.

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Backgrounder

Abenomics and the Japanese Economy

Author: Beina Xu

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has focused his second term in office to implementing an audacious set of economic policies designed to spur the country out of its decades-long deflation and sluggish growth, explains this Backgrounder.

See more in Japan, Economics

Backgrounder

Nuclear Power Safety Concerns

Author: Toni Johnson

Damage to Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has reignited debate over the safety of nuclear power and highlighted questions over aging power plants, safety procedures, and waste disposal.

See more in Japan, Disasters

Backgrounder

The Rise of Political Opposition in Japan

Author: Jayshree Bajoria

Opposition victory in Japan's 2009 parliamentary election served as a watershed moment in the country's electoral politics. Analysts say political change in Tokyo could result in a possible shift in its close relationship with the United States, especially in security matters.

See more in Japan, Elections

Backgrounder

Japan and Its Military

Author: Lee Hudson Teslik

Japan's constitution forbids a traditional military, allowing only a narrowly defined Self Defense Force, or SDF. Some experts now see acceleration in the longstanding movement to modernize and strengthen the country's national defense.

See more in Japan, Defense Strategy