Mondy Briefing

Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs releases a blue book, in which stress importance of Japan-U.S. alliance. The alliance is the base for the bilateral relations. The book also cites the improved relation with China. (TBS News)


Post Kyoto Treaty on environment and green gas emission conference opens in Thailand. (TBS News )


Tibetan Protesters gather in front of the White House today.


Taiwan media reports that around 500 Uyghur protesters were arrested in Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous area


Beijing Olympics Torch rally starts today at Tiananmen Square amid tightened security.



EU Foreign Ministers meeting leaves Beijing Olympics alone, it also saves a divided EU.

Movie Yasukuni Rejected Showing in Tokyo

First Japanese Diet (Congress) members, now the movie theaters. Four scheduled showing of documentary Yasukuni in Tokyo has been called off. First there is a theater in Shinjuku canceled the showing scheduled in April, now three others also follow the suits. It should be no surprising to anyone, as there is a high possibility followed a negative response from some diet members.

Now the issue is Then What? After the movie's premier at this year's Sundance, it generated little publicity. Now because of the last minute cancellations, all in a sudden, the news fly around, even Yahoo Japan picked it among the top news. From the controversy and interests it stirs up, I won't be surprised the movie may land in the U.S. first and then exported to Japan.

Is the movie really biased? We have to wait for its showing and then make a judgment.

Japan Bashing

Recently, Japan Bashing is on international media's radar screens.

First, British magazine Economist runs a special report on Japan, and call it :JAPAiN. Nothing further than the name, the nation causes pain. decelerating growth, which just gets up from underground two years ago, now it looks Japanese economy is going nowhere, rapid spreading inflation, higher prices from pans to pastas, stalled foreign policy comparing to a more assertive and far reaching China, and on top of all complicated problems, Fukuda administration can even reach agreement with opposition parties on a BOJ governor.

Another issue is whale hunting and killing, which has draw international protests, especially recently in Australia, where protests turned violent and several people were arrested.

More broad issues include lack of leadership and optimism.

The Japan bashing is also slowly drawing attention from Japanese media, even not many main media, but some has pay close attention to it. Include this article from Moneyzine, which has devoted to the ongoing current.

With the Toyako Summit is just a few months away, and leaders of major industrial countries and around 20 african countries presidents to gather in Japan, the time for a PR campaign is running out.

Go to Beiing or Not? A divided EU

German Chancellor Merkel will not going to Beijing for the Olympics, she is the fourth nation leaders to announce absentee from the otherwise flawless opening ceremony.


Go to Beijing or Not to go? The question has divided EU members. While German and three other former communist countries said No, Sweden and Spain said Yes. And Sarkozy said Both.


Clinton relates American economy to Japan, in a not so positive way.


Bush again shows his hope that Beijing starts talks with Dalai Lama, even not his holiness himself, but representatives. Can China save its face to a so-called "separatist"?


Are you interested in history? Maybe you'd like some dose of Sino-Japan history, checked out Asahi's serial on ups and downs in the two countries relations.


New HIV Carriers could reach 8 millions in Asia by 2020, according to a UNAIDs report.

Road to Beijing Olympics

Today marks the start of torch rally for Beijing Olympics, the torch was lit in Olympia, Greece, and will travel through five continents. Amid protests on issues of press freedom, human rights and recent Tibetan riots, the ceremony has been interrupted and shadowed by protesters and activists. (TBS News)


Regarding Tibetan riots, Police in Beijing announced have arrested five Tibetans for setting fire in Llahsa.(TBS)


Even Secretary of State Condi Rice calls for negotiations between Beijing and Dalai Lama to solve the situation in Tibet.


A Chinese American in California was charged with espionage for Chinese military and sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Thursday Briefing

Yen pass the 100 mark, first time in 12 years.

Japan's defense official set up a scenario on how Japan will respond to a war between China and Taiwan, a taboo topic, especially when China's Hu Jintao is due to Tokyo in late May and Fukuda cabinet avoids any confrontation with Beijing. The official later took back the speech.

China again assures Japanese that MiC is safe just as before the dumplings.


Asahi's China special reports have some interesting stories, have you checked them lately?

Movie Yasukuni Stirs Up Interests

The documentary Yakuniku, directed by a Chinese who have been living in Japan for 18 years, stirs up a wave of dispute just before its planned premier in Tokyo next month. The documentary focuses on the controversial Shinto shrine, Yasukuni Jinja, a symbol of worship, war dead, Japan and its relations with China and other East Asian countries, which is how this website is about.

Funded by money from Chinese individuals and a Japanese government grant, Yasukuni debuted in this year's Sundance festival, considering the crew, director Li Ying and other Chinese and Japanese, the movie is truly a team work between jointly conducted by the both sides.

The center of the dispute, is some of Japan's ruling LDP members, complains that the movie is "biased" and "more of a work in favoring Chinese side", they question the use of government fund for such a "politically motivated" work, and demand to withdraw the fund.

Now the question is not only about the fund, also the fate of the opening of the movie in Japan and China, how people will accept it? From the title on the movie's post, it says "Telling the stories to Japanese". I hope at least the news regarding the movie may increase people's curiosity and thus want to know more about it.

Chinese to Japanese: No More Cheap MICs

This is something new to me, export of food and foodstuff from China to Japan was down, even before the now notorious dumplings.

For example, peanuts from Shandong Province, a place called by much as "Japanese's food basket", (I contributed partly to that, too, as I was importing meat products from Shandong at a pace of one container per month), has stopped going to Japan even from last summer, at least half year before the pesticide containing dumplings were found.

The reason is that Chinese side has strengthened inspection system, and one victim is the Japanese snakes makers, espcially mid to small ones, who used to rely heavily on cheap Made in Chinas, now they are facing mounting pressure to survive. Turning to domestic peanuts is out of question, because the sky high cost is unbearable for many, and prices kept going higher as more and more demand for domestic ones.

I am not totally surprised, as Chinese economy is now a part of the global economy, with everything goes up and labor costs jump, the Chinese are becoming more aware of the markets outside of Japan.

Getting to the bottom of both the dumplings and the peanuts, is a clash of a fast rising and changing China with a changing as well but not quite catching up Japan, without a comprehensive overhaul of the current dealing, I will not surprised to see that one day more Chinese products look elsewhere for markets.

Chinese Write: Dangerous Chinese Food Industry

TBS has an excellent piece on first Chinese who disclose the dangerous food industry, Zhou Jing, who won a reporting award for his works titled What Can We Eat On? --A Thorough View Into Chinese Food Safety. Like me, Zhou is from Xi'an and has a local flavor, speaking up after witnessing something wrong.

According to Zhou, the problem is not only in food industry, but a censored media, for example, in China, no reports of the dumplings dispute between China and Japan tells much on Japanese side of investigation, while almost every media reports how China is the victim, no fault can be found. Living with such a one sided media coverage, no wonder people are easy to distrust and more towards to emotion.

Take a look of the story here.

China Banned Tangwei

A Chinese men was abused by a Japanese Policemen where he was detained in a police station in Shizuoka prefecture. The policemen has since been charged. I wonder what could happen if the Chinese and Japanese change positions and the whole thing takes place in China...

The sage of Chinese food contains pesticides goes on, more dumplings are found to exceed standards in pesticide.


It happens in the city I had lived for 10 years-Xi'an, China, also a popular tourist destination know for its well-kept city walls, China's first emperor and only women emperor's tombs. A local men with explosives took a bus of Australian tourists as hostage. The men was later killed by local police and no other injuries.


Movie "Lust Caution" star, Chinese actress Tangwei has been banned in China. Tang Wei's TV commercial was banned from showing in China. As usual, no reasons are given except "from the top"-usually means the biggest censor-China TV and Broadcasting Bureau.