Comments on: The Prime Ministers Fukuda and Sino-Japan relations http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2008/08/18/the-prime-ministers-fukuda-and-sino-japan-relations/ Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:50:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 By: Yasukuni shrine « East Asia Forumhttp://www.eastasiaforum.org/2008/08/18/the-prime-ministers-fukuda-and-sino-japan-relations/comment-page-1/#comment-34 Yasukuni shrine « East Asia Forum Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:22:18 +0000 http://eastasiaforum.wordpress.com/?p=834#comment-34 [...] always be some ‘noise’ in a relationship as big as that between Japan and China, no matter how close and robust it becomes. The important thing is that disagreements and tensions don’t dominate the relationship. Much of [...] [...] always be some ‘noise’ in a relationship as big as that between Japan and China, no matter how close and robust it becomes. The important thing is that disagreements and tensions don’t dominate the relationship. Much of [...]

]]> By: Ian Davieshttp://www.eastasiaforum.org/2008/08/18/the-prime-ministers-fukuda-and-sino-japan-relations/comment-page-1/#comment-35 Ian Davies Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:06:55 +0000 http://eastasiaforum.wordpress.com/?p=834#comment-35 I hope Tobias Harris is wrong about Aso. That will create too many unnecessary tensions and unpredictability in the relationship, and create too many challenges for Australia. Its time for the LDP to take a back seat for a long time in Japanese politics. Your piece was timely and the historical theme important. Regarding the last sentence, “Does the younger Fukuda have the time to use it?”, you could also add the question, “does he and his faction have the ideas to initiate a new program of positive engagement with China”. What does Japanese business say about this, does the Japanese media have any views (I suspect not – they are captured by interest groups), and can the Foreign Ministry and METI work up a vision for the relationship that would drive a new strategy 2010-2020 taking Japan forward with China? I wonder. Is anybody thinking about this in Japan nowadays? I hope Tobias Harris is wrong about Aso. That will create too many unnecessary tensions and unpredictability in the relationship, and create too many challenges for Australia. Its time for the LDP to take a back seat for a long time in Japanese politics. Your piece was timely and the historical theme important.

Regarding the last sentence, “Does the younger Fukuda have the time to use it?”, you could also add the question, “does he and his faction have the ideas to initiate a new program of positive engagement with China”. What does Japanese business say about this, does the Japanese media have any views (I suspect not – they are captured by interest groups), and can the Foreign Ministry and METI work up a vision for the relationship that would drive a new strategy 2010-2020 taking Japan forward with China? I wonder. Is anybody thinking about this in Japan nowadays?

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