SinoJapan's Winter in the middle of the Summer

Mr. Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine again stirs up a debate , a debate not about The United States, not China or South Korea, but about Japan itself. How Japan is going to define its own role in International arena?

Japan's foreign minister proposed Japan to be Asia's Thought Leader, however, facing strong oppose from its two major neighbors, China and South Korea, Japan's leadership role in Asia no doubt faces challenges.

Last week, A prominent Japanese politician, Koichi Kato, well-known for speaking publicly against Koizumi's Yasukuni visit and focus on improve relations with China and South Korea, whose home and office got burned down by a self-proclaimed “rightist".

In the middle of summer, there are chills here and there. Even US scholars are concerned about the strings of worrisome incidents.