Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has ruled out the prospect of enriching uranium as part of its nuclear program. Officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan would not develop uranium enrichment capability. The officials said Erdogan, accompanied by a large government and business delegation, did not reach agreement with Japan to produce […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave the Chinese leadership a much-appreciated Christmas present when he unexpectedly paid a formal visit to the Yasukuni Shrine — where 14 Class-A WWII criminals are honored — on Dec. 26. Abe’s perceived support of quasi-militaristic goals has elicited a tidal wave of […]
Sol W. Sanders Rather suddenly there is a welter of developments turning Asia’s dozen-odd countries into a cat’s cradle of conflicting interests — some new — that could lead to war. Central, of course, is “a rising” China. The Chinese, themselves, have given up the phrase “a peaceful rising”. That was a promise that […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com The shadows of war hang more menacingly over Northeast Asia at the opening of a brave new year than they have at any time since, well, since the last time the region was edging into armed conflict. That might be since the Korean mini-crisis of nearly a year […]
Sol W. Sanders In a world of moldering journalism, nothing quite equals the inadequacies of the reporting about Japan. Despite this short shrift, Japan remains the U.S.’ most important relationship in Asia — especially as China is increasingly seen as an adversary and with an unpredictable North Korea. It is an important trading partner […]
Special to WorldTribune.com East-Asia-Intel.com One year after China’s government erupted over Japan’s decision to buy three islands in the Senkaku chain from private investors, a decision dubbed by politicians as “nationalization,” a whopping 69.6 percent of Japanese in a recent public opinion poll endorsed the government’s action. Respondents to the poll clearly put blame for […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com The landslide victory won by the Shinzo Abe administration in last weekend’s parliamentary elections is unlikely to lead to a detente in Japan’s difficult relations with China. Just the opposite. While senior Chinese officials have remained reticent, the official media have zeroed in on the fact that with […]
Special to WorldTribune.com East-Asia-Intel.com The sweeping parliamentary victory last weekend has made Shinzo Abe one of the most powerful post-war Japanese prime ministers. Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) controls both chambers of the Japanese parliament known as the Diet. The resounding win has also given him a clear mandate to review the nation’s defense […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com Japanese investment in China last year exceeded $70 billion. There are 14,000 Japanese companies in China. But that may be about to change because Japan is poised to leave China for India, adding huge benefits to the South Asian country in terms of jobs creation, technological transfer, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com There is a New Great Game in Africa and this time it is China and Japan that are competing for influence and favor. The primary tool in this contest is the extraordinarily generous economic aid packages for impoverished African nations. This is not new to both economic […]