November - December 2025

The Asan Forum > Japan

Japan

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February 22, 2017 Alternative Scenarios
Positive Scenario II

The Constitutional Court of South Korea has until June to rule for or against the impeachment decision made by the National Assembly last December. As a majority of […]

Kim Jaechun*

4th nuclear test, Abe Shinzo, Ban Ki-moon, burden-sharing, comfort women, Constitutional Court, Dokdo, elections, GSOMIA, impeachment, Kaesong Industrial Complex, Kim Jong-nam, missile tests, Park Geun-hye, ROK-US Alliance, sanctions, THAAD, Trump
February 10, 2017 Open Forum
Japan’s Russia Policy: Looking Back on 2016 and Ahead to 2017

Building closer relations with Russia was undoubtedly one of the main priorities of Japanese foreign policy in 2016. This was made clear by Prime Minister Abe in his […]

James D.J. Brown

1956 Joint Declaration, Abe Shinzo, Crimea, East China Sea, Eastern Economic Forum, G7, G8, Hikiwake, Kuril Islands, Northern Territories, Peace Treaty, Putin, sanctions, South China Sea, Syria, Territorial Disputes, Trump, Ukraine
February 9, 2017 Special Forum
Introduction

With a new US administration under Donald Trump tempted to use military power in ways still hard to predict, it is timely to review the major military challenges […]

Editorial Staff

A2/AD, Arms trade, Diaoyu islands, East China Sea, India, Korean reunification, military buildup, missile defense system, Nuclear deterrence, sanctions, Senkaku Islands, South China Sea, Taiwan, THAAD, trilateralism, Trump
February 9, 2017 Special Forum
Shifting the Strategic Balance to Force North Korea to Change

This article proposes a new strategy to force a change in North Korea, a change that will result in a regime that does not develop nuclear weapons, does […]

General (Ret.) Walter L. Sharp

forced labor, information campaign, intelligence sharing, Korean reunification, military buildup, missile defense system, missile tests, nuclear tests, provocations, ROK-US Alliance, sanctions, trilateralism, UN Security Council
February 2, 2017 National Commentaries
A Japanese Perspective

On February 11, 2017, after having played golf with Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, President Donald Trump tweeted; "Having a great time hosting Prime Minister Abe in the United […]

Hosoya Yuichi*

Abe Shinzo, cost sharing, Diaoyu islands, liberal internationalism, NATO, Obama, pivot to Asia, rebalance, Senkaku Islands, Territorial Disputes, Trump, US-Japan alliance
February 2, 2017 National Commentaries
A US Perspective

At the end of the first month of his presidency, how should we anticipate Trump’s post “pivot to Asia” policy toward East Asia? What matters: his personnel picks, […]

Gilbert Rozman

Abe Shinzo, ASEAN, Australia, Denuclearization, East China Sea, freedom of navigation operations, GSOMIA, India, Kim Jong-nam, military buildup, missile defense, missile tests, Obama, pivot to Asia, rebalance, sanctions, Six-Party Talks, South China Sea, Taiwan, THAAD, TPP, trilateralism, Trump, Tsai Ing-wen, US alliances, Xi Jinping
February 1, 2017 Country Reports
Country Report: Russia (January 2017)

Russia appears to be on the precipice of some important change with less optimism than before but more candor about uncertainties. The December Putin-Abe summit left more questions […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)

Abe Shinzo, ASEAN, Central Asia, comfort women, EAS, energy, Eurasian Economic Union, G7, Greater Eurasia, GSOMIA, India, Kazakhstan, Kuril Islands, Mongolia, Northern Territories, One Belt One Road, Park Geun-hye, Putin, Russian Far East, sanctions, SCO, Silk Road Economic Belt, South China Sea, Taiwan, THAAD, TPP, Trump
February 1, 2017 Country Reports
Country Report: Japan (January 2017)

Three shocks left Japan’s media groping for answers at the end of 2016 and the start of 2017. The Trump shock kept playing out after the initial alarm […]

Editorial Staff

abductions, Abe Shinzo, anti-globalization, ASEAN, Australia, comfort women, Crimea, Diaoyu islands, energy, GSOMIA, India, Ing-wen, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuril Islands, Northern Territories, Park Geun-hye, Philippines, Putin, Russian Far East, sanctions, Senkaku Islands, strategic patience, Taiwan, THAAD, TPP, Trans-Siberian Railroad, trilateralism, Trump, Tsai, Ukraine
February 1, 2017 Country Reports
Country Report: South Korea (January 2017)

The leadership vacuum created in December has raised questions about the legitimacy of both the domestic and foreign policies of the South Korean government. With opposing party candidates […]

Editorial Staff

Abe Shinzo, Balance of power, balancer, comfort women, Denuclearization, GSOMIA, isolationism, Kaesong Industrial Complex, Korea Air Defense Identification Zone, One China policy, Populism, ROK-US Alliance, THAAD, trilateralism, Trump
December 29, 2016 Alternative Scenarios
Negative Scenario I

On December 9, the South Korean National Assembly passed a motion of impeachment against Park Geun-hye. The ROK Constitutional Court has up to 180 days from that date […]

Scott Snyder

burden-sharing, comfort women, GSOMIA, Hanjin, Hwang Kyo-ahn, impeachment, Park Geun-hye, ROK National Assembly, Samsung, THAAD, Trump administration