The longstanding U.S.-South Korea alliance, created as a bulwark against a communist North Korea, has expanded to include tighter trade ties and cooperation on global issues from climate change to international development.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's visit to Washington is likely to see passage of the Free Trade Agreement and coordination on strategies for pushing North Korea toward denuclearization, says CFR's Scott Snyder.

As President Barack Obama hosts Lee in an official state visit at the White House, Snyder and CFR senior fellow and trade expert Edward Alden discuss the U.S.-Korea relationship and the KORUS-FTA.

Reuters investigates the legitimacy of North Korea's appeals for massive food aid that have gone mostly unanswered by a skeptical international community.

Scott A. Snyder and See-won Byun review the recent history of China-Korea relations.

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.

In this Center for Preventive Action study, CFR scholars provide policy options for preventing a major crisis and mitigating the consequences in the territories immediately adjacent to China: North Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Central Asia.

Two trends represent Korea today: South Korea's extraordinary economic boom and North Korea's stagnation and provocation.

Japan is undergoing profound changes that are empowering its political leadership at the expense of its bureaucracy.

Scott Snyder reviews Getting the Triangle Straight: Managing China-Japan-U.S. Relations, edited by Gerald Curtis, Ryosei Kokubun, and Wang Jisi.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense released the 2011 issue of this annual white paper on defense in September 2011. The report covers Japan's surrounding security environment, Japan's defense policy and and build-up of defense capability, and measures for Japan's defense.

The thirteenth Geneva Report on the World Economy addresses fiscal consolidation policy.

Sheila A. Smith says Yoshihiko Noda will need to stitch together a frayed party and a fractured public to lead Japan — and stay in power.

Yoshihiko Noda, set to become Japan's prime minister, could be a reassuring presence amid economic and political turmoil, but it's not clear what energy he will have for global affairs, writes CFR's Sheila Smith.

CFR's Director of Studies James Lindsay and CFR.org Editor Robert McMahon preview major world events in the week ahead.

In this week's podcast: the United Nations discusses operations in Libya; Republican presidential candidates react to the news from Tripoli; Japan’s governing party picks a new prime minister.

Jerome A. Cohen and Mizuki Koshimoto ask, "Has Japan found the best way for ordinary citizens to take part in criminal cases?"

CFR's Director of Studies James Lindsay and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program Stewart Patrick preview major world events in the week ahead.

In this week's podcast: The United States is expected to run out of money to pay its bills unless an agreement is reached on raising the debt ceiling; Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stands trial in Cairo; and senior U.S. and North Korean diplomats hold 'explanatory' talks

Jerome A. Cohen says the consultative jury system in South Korea can serve as a model for both sides of the Taiwan strait.

Duke Energy's Chairman, President, and CEO Jim Rogers discusses the future of energy in the United States with CFR's Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Michael Levi.

Sheila A. Smith says the disasters in Japan must be seen as a catalyst not only for building a stronger Japan but for building stronger systems of regional and global cooperation.