Chinese Scholar Slams Co-opting Korean History, The Chosun Ilbo, October 20, 2009.

Will Korea be Dragged About by China on Koguryo History?, The Chosun Ilbo, October 20, 2009.

Japan Cautious on Emperor’s Seoul Visit, The Korean Herald, October 19, 2009.

Asia’s Regionalism Block, Wall Street Journal, October 12, 2009.

A Milestone & New Starting Point for China, Japan, ROK, Xinhua, October 11, 2009.

Japan Promotes Asian Economic Bloc, Wall Street Journal, October 9, 2009.

Seoul Welcomes Joint History Textbook, but Says Will Take Time, Yonhap News Agency, October 8, 2009.

East Asian Nations Seek Common History Textbook, The Korea Times, October 8, 2009.

FM: Japan Ready to Face History, China Daily, October 1, 2009.

China, Japan, S. Korea Agree Deeper Cooperation, AFP, September 28, 2009.

U.S. Japan Alliance “Cornerstone” of Japanese Foreign Policy, Xinhua, September 24, 2009.

S. Korea, Japan Hold Summit on DPRK’s Denuclearization, Xinhua, September 24, 2009.

China’s Hu, Japan’s Hatoyama Agree to Extend Thaw in Relations, Bloomberg, September 22, 2009.

Japan Hopes for “Fresh Start” in Seoul Relations, JoongAng Daily, September 19, 2009.

Japanese Emperor’s Visit to Korea Could Backfire, Dong-a Ilbo, September 17, 2009.

Atami Final Resting Place for Tojo, 6 Others, Asahi Shimbun, September 15, 2009.

[ARCHIVE] Japan’s Other War Shrine: Koa Kannon Temple, Taipei Times, August 14, 2006.

The landslide victory of the DPJ and its junior partners over the LDP-Komei coalition in the recent general election for the Lower House of Parliament has led many to consider the possibility of a positive change in regional relationships between Japan and its neighboring countries.  Since the beginning of the campaign period, Yukio Hatoyama and his fellow DPJ leaders have articulated the importance of developing closer, more amicable relationships with Japan’s Asian neighbors, and Hatoyama has been extremely vocal when addressing issues pertaining to the legacy of historical issues that has consistently tested Japan’s relations with its neighbors.  While these promises for closer ties has left some in neighboring China and S. Korea optimistic toward the incoming administration, across the Pacific there are many who raise the question, “at what cost?”  Hatoyama’s recent Op-Ed in the New York Times entitled, “A New Path for Japan” raised some concerns in the United States of a possible distancing between the US and its ally in the Far East.  While DPJ officials quickly dispelled the idea of Japan moving away from the US, the question remains as to how Japan’s role in the region will (or will not) change with the arrival of the DPJ leadership.

This week’s news brief focuses on the varying hopes and fears of the Asia-Pacific as it witnesses the historic change in leadership within Japan:

A New Path for Japan, The New York Times, Aug. 26, 2009.

Korea Hopes for New Era in Japan Relations, The JoongAng Daily, Sept. 01, 2009.

South Korea Eyes Better Ties with Japan’s Next Leader, ChannelNewsAsia, Aug. 26, 2009.

Likely Japan Leaders to Focus on Asia Ties, Wall Street Journal, Aug. 27, 2009.

Hatoyama Seeks ‘Yukio-Barack’ Rapport, China Ties, Bloomberg, Sept. 1, 2009.

Interest High Among Foreign Media in ‘Historic’ Election, The Japan Times, Sept. 1, 2009.

U.S. May Profit from Better Japan-Asia Ties, Reuters, Sept. 3, 2009.

Sino-Japanese Ties not to be Affected After DPJ Assumes Reins of Government, SINA, Aug. 31, 2009.

DPJ to Further Advance Japan-China Ties: Party Chief, Xinhua, Aug. 11, 2009.

On August 15^, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced to the Japanese public Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam declaration, and the country’s surrender to the Allied powers.  Although the official instrument of surrender was not signed until September 2, 1945, August 15 is recognized as the date of the conclusion of World War II in the Pacific theater.

In the post-War period, August 15 has come to be commemorated as “Victory over Japan” or “V-J” day in the United States, the “Shusen Kinenbi” or the “Anniversary of the War’s End” in Japan, and “Gwangbokjeol” or “Restoration of the Light” (Liberation) day in South Korea.

Despite the differences in naming, today, August 15^th 2009 (August 14^th in the United States) marks the sixty fourth anniversary of the day Japan announced its surrender to the World in 1945.  The evening edition of the news in the United States, and the morning edition of the news in Japan and Korea have thus far carried minimal coverage of this event.  The ‘non-remembrance’ of the end of World War II in the Pacific has frustrated veterans such as Albert Perdeck (NY Times, “Keeping Alive Memories That Bedevil Him,” Aug. 13, 2009) and furthermore, begs the question of whether this symbolizes the world moving on past the post-War era, or whether it is simply a symptom of historic amnesia?

The articles that do, however, report on this event are as follows:

On Liberation Day: It’s Crucial to Know and Surmount Former Colonizer, The Korea Times, Aug. 14, 2009.

The 64^th National Ceremony to Mourn the War Dead Held Today, 7200 Bereaved Families Participate [Japanese], The MSN-Sankei News, Aug. 15, 2009.

This Land–Keeping Memories Alive That Bedevil Him, The New York Times, Aug. 13, 2009.

Summer of the General Election, With a Quiet “Yasukuni” Resolution to the Issue Remains Unforeseen [Japanese], The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 15, 2009.

Government to Invite U.S. Bataan POWs, The Daily Yomiuri, Aug. 15, 2009.

Two articles on South Korea reports Korean movements against Japan on Dokto Islets or Takeshima and the Sea of Japan or East Sea. The Northeast Asian History Foundation organized a scholary forum on Dokto Issue.

 Korean Times provides a positive commentary on Chinese Director Li Ying’s documentary film, ‘Yasukuni’, which was recently released in Korea.

A Mainichi Shimbun journalist writes on her interaction with hibakusha and introduces a second generation hibakusha Hiromi Peterson, a Japanese who married to an American in Hawaii. She produced a textbook that recounts her family’s experiences after the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The textbook is now used across Hiroshima.

Jay Taylor’s new book titled “The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-Shek and the Struggle for Modern China” sheds a new light on Chiang Kai-shek’s life highlighting his talent as a strategist and rebutting some of popular conceptions such as his reluctance to exhaust his army in battles against the Japanese Army, utilizing new materials.

South Koreans want water called East Sea, UPI August 6, 2009

‘Japan’s Claim to Dokdo Threatens Peace in N-E Asia’, Korea Times, August 6, 2009

‘Yasukuni’ Cuts Into Spiritual Dimension, Koera Times, August 6, 2009

Serving as a bridge to spread the message of the atomic bombing, Mainichi Shimbun, August 6, 2009

The Generalissimo, Christian Science Monitor, August 6, 2009

On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb to be used in war was dropped on the city of Hiroshima.  Sixty-four years later, as the number of survivors from the bombing steadily grow thin in numbers–Hiroshima, the bomb, and their legacy continue to live on as symbols within contemporary debates over the future of nuclear armaments, denuclearization, and non-proliferation.  The media surrounding the sixty-fourth commemoration of the bombing include articles on the reparations for under-represented Korean victims of the bombing, an American public opinion poll indicating that 61 percent of 2,400 questioned Americans believe the US did the “right thing” by dropping the bomb, personal narratives by both the Hibakusha victims and from Enola Gay crew member Morris Jeppson, and the controversy over former-JASDF Chief of Staff Gen. Toshio Tamogami’s lecture in Hiroshima entitled “Casting Doubt on Hiroshima’s Peace.”

In other recent news, the Yokohama city board of education approved the use of the controversial Jiyuu-sha textbook, setting the precedent as the first major city in Japan to approve the use of the controversial history textbook.  Additionally, as the August 30th election for the lower-house of the Japanese parliament looms near, media sources are speculating on the impact a DPJ government may have on historical memory issues in the Asia-Pacific.

Hiroshima Marks 64th Anniversary of Atomic Bombing, Asahi Shimbun, August 6, 2009.

Aso, Hibakusha Sign Accord on Peace Measures, Asahi Shimbun, August 6, 2009.

Panel Proposes Inviting Obama to Visit Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Asahi Shimbun, August 3, 2009.

U.S. Poll Finds Support for Atomic Bombing of Japan, Mainichi Shimbun, August 5, 2009.

Interview with Enola Gay Crew Member Morris Jeppson, Mainichi Shimbun, August 4, 2009.

A-bomb Victims Refuse to Lapse into Silence, Mainichi Shimbun, August 3, 2009.

Strive for Nuclear Disarmament, The Japan Times, August 6, 2009.

Tamogami’s A-bomb Speech Plan Slammed, The Japan Times, August 2, 2009.

Ex-Soldier to Stir Up A-bomb Survivors, The Australian, August 4, 2009.

Recent News:

Yokohama OKs Disputed History Text, Asahi Shimbun, August 5, 2009.

Yokohama Adopts Nationalistic Junior High History Textbook, The Japan Times, August 5, 2009.

Japan Party Set to Shun War Shrine, The China Daily, August 5, 2009.

Yuji Hosaka: Born to Defend Korea’s Dokdo Claims, The Korea Herald, August 3, 2009.

History May Haunt Asia Less Under Japan Democrats, Reuters India, August 2, 2009.

Professor Mike Mochizuki pointed out the importance of developing a web of institutions for reconciliation in East Asia in his presentation at the Northeast Asian History Foundation, Seoul. Mainichi Shimbun argues that Japan needs to find its atonement in East Asia after the demise of the the San Francisco Treaty structure.

Web of Institutions Can Resolve History Issues in Northeast Asia, Korea Times, July 8, 2009

Japan must find its own path to atonement for wartime, colonial history, Mainichi Shimbun, July 7, 2009

John Woo will remain in China for his next film on WWII, which takes a theme in the American volunteers recruited to aid the Chinese Air Force prior to the US participation in WWII; Veterans of the Korean War will be special guests during opening ceremonies for the Great Texas Balloon Race this year; Japan received the first Chinese individual tourist after change in its law; Taiwan is ready to receive more investment from China.

John Woo Divebombs Into WWII Again With ‘Flying Tiger Heroes’, MTV Blog, July 6, 2009

Balloon Race honors Korean War veterans, News-Journal.com, July 3, 2009

Taiwan Opens 100 Industries to Chinese Investment (Update2), Bloomberg, June 30, 2009

First individual Chinese tourists visit Japan, AFP, July 8, 2009

What’s Driving Pyongyang?, GlobalSecurity.org, July 3, 2009

Allies in Paranoia and Repression, Far Eastern Economic Review, July 3, 2009

Dialogue-First Diplomacy Not Working, CBS, July 8, 2009

Japan’s Ambassador to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki attended a meeting of former American prisoners of war on May 30, and became the first Japanese government official to apologize for the Bataan Death March in 1942. Mainichi Shimbun provides a commentary on his apology, pointing out the double-standard in Japanese conservatives’ attitudes towards the US and Asian countries over the issue of the memory of WWII.

Differing views on WWII crimes overshadowed by U.S.-Japan security treaty, Mainichi Shimbun, June 22, 2009

The first article reports that Busan in Korea and its Japanese sister city of Fukuoka have agreed to create a common economic zone, bringing the economies, cultures and peoples of both cities more closer together than ever. The opinion piece in the second article criticizes moves towards more economic integration in East Asia.

Busan, Fukuoka to Become One Economic Zone, Korea Times, June 25, 2009

Korea-China FTA — Terrible Idea, Korea Times, June 26, 2009