Sino-Japan Relation Spiral Down Further

The prolonged fishing boat clash didn't work out as both sides hoped, "calm and care", it seems the China-Japan relationship is entering winter in the mid-autumn of 2010.

First Tokyo has decided to delay the release of the captain of the fishing boat by ten days, which caused a uproar from the Beijing side, who has insisted on an immediate release. More than 10,000 Chinese tourists have already canceled their planned trips to Japan, more cancellations are pouring in, according to Japanese media reports.

Around one hundred Chinese protesters demonstrated in front of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, smaller crowded also gathered in Shanghai's Japanese Consular office. Even in NYC, Chinese immigrants and students protested.

Top level exchanges between Japanese politicians and ministers have seen further set backs. Following the abandonment of a NYC meeting between Wen Jiabao and Naoto Kan, who are attending UN General Assembly, Tokyo announced that a meeting between Chinese minister and Japanese counterparts on the side of APEC tourist ministers meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Nara, Japan has been scrapped.

The cold wind also blew to cultural exchange scene. A concert in Shanghai featuring Japanese pop group SMAP has been called off for now, the organizers cited safety concers for concert goers. Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara also said he wouldn't go to a meeting in Beijing in October.

The three-day mid-autumn festival holiday hopefully will calm the situation a bit, when everyone comes back to the table, a fresh start will return.

China-Japan Relationship Worsens Due To Fishing Boat Clash

The ongoing clash between Beijing and Tokyo over a fishing boat near Sengaku (Daiyutai) islands and Chinese public outcry have further strained the fragile bilateral relationship.

Although the sides have emphasized "calm and care", the ties have cooled down quickly since Sept. 13, when Chinese fishing boat was detained by Japanese Coast Guide. According to Japanese media report, tour groups numbered around 10,000 visitors from China have canceled their original plan traveling to Japan, at least for now. That's on top of a scrapped submit between Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japan PM Naoto Kan on the sidelines of UN General Assembly this month. Another planned meeting between the two countries to discuss the joint development of the gas field in the East China Sea has also been axed.

Adding more pouch to the wound, Japanese today said Chinese have shipped drilling equipments to the disputed gas field.

As the traditional Moon Festival coming, and a long weekend to start soon in China, will the time allow the both sides to sit down and come up solutions, instead of more tensions?

I certainly hope so.

Outgunned by China, Japan Plays Catch-up

Two-day conference will be held in Tanzania between Japan and 50 African countries. However, Tokyo doesn't have diplomatic presence in a dozen of these countries.

Out of the 53 nations in the continent, Japan only 31 embassies, while its much larger and emerging China has 46 or 48 embassies, said a spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affair in Tokyo.

Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada will step out on his first African trip since taking office, while his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi has been all over Africa, the most recent is a four nation tour in January. While Yang's trips were mostly brief ones in each stop, Okada will be only going to South Africa before heading to Dar es Salaam.

Japan has sinced vowed to catch up, the nation announced to double aid to $1.8 billion in Africa by 2012. The amount now stands at $1.65 billion.

The aid money is important, however, the personnel on the ground and business activities will also decide who gets the influence in Africa.

Okinawa Miyaku, Japanese executed in China

Tokyo court orders Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MOFA) to disclose a secrete deal signed thirty years between Japan and the U.S. regarding transfer of Okinawa base. According to Sheila Smith of Council on Foreign Relations, the first ruling on the miyaku is significant as "a milestone, however, in that it is the first time that citizens have used Japan’s Information Disclosure Act effectively against the government on an issue related to the US military."

The ruling also certified that there was such a behind-the-closed-doors agreement between the two countries.

According to TBS News, three Japanese drug smugglers were executed in Dalian of Northeastern China.

Nanjing! Nanjing! Japan Missing To Dissing?

Chinese movie about the Nanjing Massacre-Nanjing! Nanjing May 23 was shown in Shanghai, and over 250 Japanese students and employees were invited to attend and voice their opinions afterward. 47 percent of Japanese participants felt the movie will be a hard sell in Japan,and one female Japanese said she was not sure how much truth to the movie.
(Asahi News)


Lawyer John Roos was reported to be the Obama's ambassador to Tokyo, the news has stirred up a short wave across Japanese politics. LDP OB Yamazaki Taku told TBS that the Roos has no Japanese experience nor Northeest Asian security past. One Japanese blogger called it a Japan Dissing, dubble from Japan Bassing, Japan Passing, Japan Missing. (Yomiuri News)


Japan becomes the fourth most Flu cases in the world, after Mexico, U.S., Canada. (Yomiuri News )
I wonder doese that mean Japan is too close to the U.S., physically and psychologically?


Chinese will send personel to the Moon around 2025-2030. (Mainichi News)


Wang Dan, the June Forth Tiananmen student leader criticized Japan for being half-hearted when comes to support democratic movement in China. (Mainichi News)


China proposes a Free Trade Agreement among Beijing, Tokyo and Souel. (Mainichi News)


Beijing asks UN to consider a sea shelf development zone between China and Japan, could lead to new conflicts between the two energy craving countries. (Mainichi News)


THAT's this week's China Japan News.

New Flu, May Fourth, Children's Day

China and Mexico engages a diplomatic war over flu handling. China just sent charter plane to put 200 people out of Mexico, and Mexico government has asked citizens to leave China.


China quarantines 25 Canadian students even without them showing flu symptoms. (TBS News)


Hong Kong still quarantine suspects in a hotel, with security guards around the hotel.


Hong Kong's Baodiao group members were stopped by police from going to Diaoyu Island(Senkaku), where both China, Japan and Taiwan claim as territory. (Yomiuri News)


China marks the 90th anniversary of May Fourth Movement, CCP secretary Hu Jintao ask youth to be patriotic. (Yomiuri News)


May 5 is Children's Day in Japan. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a warm message, which is a unusual and extra gesture to Japan.(Yomiuri News)

Flu Interrupts Golden Week For Japanese And Chinese

It is now Golden Week in Japan, however, no break for both Japanese and Chinese health workers. Even the two countries have not reported any confirmed H1N1 flu cases, however, they seem to all feel that is inevitable.

In Japan, as many as 50,000 travelers are scheduled to return home from overseas trips on May 6, the government is waiting nervously and making every possible measure to prevent virus landing to the island.

In China, president Hu Jintao held a first ever highest level official meeting to discuss the issue, after the 2003 SARS outbreak, no one can blame China for not doing enought this time. The current May day three day weekend is also not helping the matter, and it is traiditonal travelling time for millions. May day also starts a summer seasion where many migrants to go out to look for works and people get married.

At the April 30 meeting between Japanese PM Aso Taro, who was visiting Beijing, and Hu Jintao, both men confirmed the two countries to join hands to fight the new H1N1 flu pandemic togehter.

No Yasukuni and what so ever mentioned.

Will the flu thing bring the two contries together? the real challeng will be the end of the May, when a civil group Baodiao, Protecting Diaoyu (Senkaku) island, where both China, Japan and Taiwan claim as own terrotrity, will come from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macro to bound for a trip to the island. the group had asked both Chinese and Taiwanese military for protection from possible intervention of Japanese Marine ships.

Will it Diaoyu (Senkaku) become a trilate issue again?

Aso's Yasukuni Gift Causes China's Black Eye

Japan's Aso Taro did what he did last year at the Autumn Festival, and spent 50,000 yen and gave the same gift to the annual Spring Festival to Yasukuni Shrine. However, Beijing raised voice this time and asked Aso and Japan to deal with Yasukuni issue with a more cautious manner.

Aso is scheduled to visit Beijing next week.

The Yasukuni issue is again put on the table.

Japan obviously doesn't want to anger China right before Aso's trip, and Cabinet Secetary Kawamura brashed off and said Tokyo is not concerned about negative impact to the visit.

However, Yakukuni is to Sino-Japan Relations, just like Tibet to Sino-French one, is unavoidable and up front whenever the leaders from the two sides meet. Sarkozy rushed to repair ties with Beijing with a eye on potential economic benefits. Aso didn't have to make too much efforts, thanks in part to fromer PM Abe Shinzo's ice melting trip to Beijing. However, the issue is pretty much still up and front.

Will the trip be affected? I don't think so. However, a shadow has cerartainly casted when Aso meets Hu Jintao late this month.

Major News On China and Japan

China looks increasingly to dump the dollars it holds. As the largest holder of the U.S. currency, China moves to hedge the dollar position with other currencies.


China is leading the way in Latin America. China has been negotiating deals to double a development fund in Venezuela to $12 billion, lend Ecuador at least $1 billion.


At the same time, more talks on China leading the world out of the recession, instead of Japan and Europe.


Japan will issue the largest ever national debt in 2009 to pay for economic stimulus package


Japan considers to sponsor unemployed Japanese in Brazil


China's GDP grows by 6.1, a big drop for China. (Not for everyone else)


Japan significantly relaxes regulation to lure more Chinese tourists


China opens rehabilitation facility for internet addicts

Japan in DC

It is certainly the Hanami (cherry blossom viewing )and Sakura Matsuri season. In Washington DC, the cherry trees were in full blossom a few days ago, and a street festival has taken place last saturday. However, the Japan and Asian flavor can be seen around the town. here are the same places you can take a bit:

The screening of film Okuribito (the departures) at DC International Film Fest. The movie surprised everyone by winning this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.


An excellent morden art exhibit (FREE! too) from chinese artists is on display at the Meridian International Center.


If you are not in DC, here are some news for the weekend reading:


China establishes a new Japan study center in Tsinghua University(Japanese)


Tnkwo former high ranking Chinese Communist Officers call for re-evaluation for Hu Yaobang, the former CCP secretary. (Japanese)

Horror in a New Year

Happy New Year!

A 4 year girl was found dead and her body was separated in Guangzhou, China. An unemployed man in his 30s was arrested for the murder, and the police is investigating further on other related missing children cases. It could lead to a serial child eating criminal. (Yomiuri News)


A new dispute is going on between Japan and China regarding East China Sea's gas reserve, China is developing one of the four in dispute, and it has stirred up protest from Tokyo. (Yomiuri News)


The Pingpong Diplomacy's 30th birthday, Beijing is hosting a competition to celebrate relationship with the U.S. in January 1, 1979. (Xinhua News)


China publish a Microsoft software piracy criminal with 6.6 years sentence. (Asahi News)


China's People's Daily reports that over 2.1 billion yuan in bribery has been reported by various levels of officers, and the number of these who didn't report could be much higher. (Asahi News)

Chrismas Wishes

A very happy holiday to you all!


I am on holiday time off and will be back after the Chrismas. Here are some links you can check out while enjoying the time off:

CSIS at iTune University (comments, interviews, etc)


Asahi Shimbun Yearend Special (great way to understand Japanese culture at the end of a year)


Yomiuri Shimbun's 10 Biggest News of The Year (Chinese Dumping Scandle is voted by the readers as the Top 1)


Xinua News Yearend review. (The title is What a Year!)

G-20 Finance Summit Opens In Washington DC

Leaders of the largest twenty economies are coming to the town, and on the way home, I was glad to sit on the Metro subway train and looking out only to see traffic jams everywhere inside the beltway. With a tightened security, including several blocks were closed to traffic around the National Building Museum, where the G-20 finance summit is being held, your best bet in DC, if you are not one of the White House invited guests, is to take the Metro.


With Washington DC takes over as the host city for the summit, Japan is already hoping to host the next summit


No wonder Japan wants to take the leadership from the U.S., you will understand after reading Prime Minister Aso Taro's Restoring Financial Stability published at today's WSJ Asia.


Hillary Clinton, the next Madam Secretary?


China will ban lip sync. Even the practice has been around for at least twenty years, it is coming to an end only after the Olympic scandal that has drawn worldwide attention.


India will replace China to be the most populated nation in the world by 2022.


Americans all over the country are in search for a place to stay in Washington DC around January 20 for the Obama Inauguration, will the mania catch up internationally too? Like.... Japan...


One Chinese market is booming from the financial crisis, students studying abroad. Shanghai sees more students going overseas to study. Reasons: lower tuition due to strong RMB currency rate, and more foreign schools lure Chinese students and easier to get a visa now than before.


Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit is being held Nov. 14-16 in Tokyo


Why Shanghai has to change policy on recycling PET bottles?

Halloween in China and Japan

Today's Halloween in the U.S., and in Tokyo, Halloween is fairly new thing and it seems Halloween is being celebrated only by foreigners, to be exact, drunk foreigners. Yamanote subway line has beefed up security to prepare for any misconducts by the "crazy" Gaijins, such as taking off clothes and sleeping on the racks, taking off lights inside the cars, etc.


In Shanghai, Halloween is becoming trendy, even it is not as big as Christmas, but young people who like parties still embrace it as another excuse to have some fun.


On the food safety fronts, China is recalling Japanese soysource due to a chemical is found.


Japan's Air Self Defense Chief was forced to resign for saying publicly that Japan has not invaded Korea and China.


And China reports the news promptly.

Food and Finance Crisis

A this Wold's Food Day, more tainted foods were found in Japan that were imported from China, this time, frozen vegetables. However, Chinese denied anything went wrong in its side. (TBS News)


Finance market went further down, after Dow closed down by over 700 points, Tokyo Nikkei is now dipping below 9000 level. No end is seen yet to the current wide spread crisis. (Nikkei Net)


Smaller, Better for auto?
Would you like to drive a car shorter than 3 meters made by Toyoda? (TBS News)

Worldwide Stock Market Crash

The Dow Jones Index dropped 687 points, in three days, the stock market has down over 15 percent, if you think that is scare, consider this:


Tokyo Stock Market dropped over 1000 points this morning, to a new low of 8,100. The Market has to shut down temporarily due to overwhelming sale orders. The scare feeling of no site of a bottom can be seen cause a wide spread selling. Where are the bargain hunters?


China, fears even worse than Japan, the Shanghai market dropped to below 2000, and one analyst predicated that if the Shanghai Index touches 2,000 point, the next target is 1,000. Around the same time last year, Shanghai Index reached over 6,000, that means two thirds of value has evaporated in a single year.

Milk Powder Shadows China

Recently, every thing you heard from China is the Milk Powder, however, today a shocking news from Xi'an, my home town, eight babies died recently at a single hospital, seemed to have nothing to do with the milk powder. What's going on?

EU among such countries as India, bans milk products from China


Served five year as Japan's Prime Minister(one of the longest serving after the war), Koizumi retires from politics


Japan media pays very close focus on China's successful launch of a spaceship


New Japan's PM Aso Taro addressed the UN general assembly. He emphases value based diplomacy and partnership with China and South Korea.

After the games, China looks to Hi-Tech

Citing potential threat from China's People's Liberation Army, Japan's annual defense beige book also calls for close attention to Russia's increasing military move in the Far East.


Paralympics Opens in Beijing.


Social unrests continue in China, two big scale(several thousands) protests, one in Central China,Hunan, one in eastern Zhejiang province's Ningbao.


Tokyo stock market suffers along with NYSE, both drops over 200 points on September 4 .


2 out 3 people worldwide watched Beijing Olympics


After the games, China looks to High-Tech


BOC-Bank of China, China's central bank, in need of love(Money)

Breaking: Fukuda Resigns

This morning at 8:30am, a hour and 45 minutes ago, and Tokyo time at 9:30pm, Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held a unscheduled press briefing and announced his immediate resignation. He disclosed that the decision was made over the weekend.

Fukuda's sudden resignation mimics his precedent Shinzo Abe's resignation last year, just before the Diet is opening for business. Too much pressure is speculated last time and this time.

Taro Abe, the next on the rank, will be a possible successor to Fukuda.

How it is going to impact Japan's economy and political future will be closely watched, especially at Tokyo stock exchange, which had another down day, Nikkei index dropped over 200 points.

Fukuda's resignation is also a blow to Washington, who is looking to Japan to renew the oil supply law to the U.S. navy ships in the ocean off the Afghan coast.

Old War and New War

Former WWII biggest war criminal Tojo Hideki's diary was recently found(youtube video clip). Inside he described a wish to carry on the war, and surrendering will be a disaster for Japan.


Due to Georgia situation and series of shuttle diplomacy between Europe and the U.S., secretary of state Condi Rice will not go to Beijing for the closing ceremony. How about British Prime Minister Brown?


Former vice President Mondale is helping Obama shape foreign policy towards Japan


Chinese net writers increase dramatically, few actually make a decent income