Kazuo Ogoura - The Japan Times

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Kazuo Ogoura

For Kazuo Ogoura's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMENTARY

Aug 2, 2008

Group of Three or G-13?

The Toyako, Hokkaido, summit witnessed moves to expand the Group of Eight forum of leading industrial nations through the addition of China, India and other new members.

COMMENTARY

Jun 13, 2008

Scrutable, 'invisible' Japan

The international community of scholars with an interest in Japan is rife with whisperings of Japan's "invisibility."

COMMENTARY

Mar 28, 2008

Bringing in China and India

The rise of China and India is a frequent topic of discussion in the international community. In pondering the global repercussions of this rise and how the world might cope with it, it is instructive to examine how the international community dealt with Japan, and how Japan adapted to the international community between the mid-19th century and World War II.

COMMENTARY

Feb 5, 2008

ASEAN through Asian eyes

A charter governing the activities of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was adopted at the 13th ASEAN summit held in Singapore in November on the 40th anniversary of the regional grouping.

COMMENTARY

Dec 31, 2007

China's public diplomacy

China's public, or soft-power, diplomacy has traditionally consisted of "people's diplomacy," meaning the cultivation of people friendly to China within other countries. Under this method, China would nurture people sympathetic to its ideas within a country and use these figures to exert influence on the country's upper echelons or political leadership.

COMMENTARY

Nov 30, 2007

Culture as a common asset

Politics (political phenomena) has become disconnected from culture (cultural phenomena) in East Asia.

COMMENTARY

Sep 17, 2007

U.S. power and Japan's role

There have been no signs of deterioration in U.S. power over the past decade, measured either militarily, economically, or in terms of "soft power"; this is true both in absolute terms and in comparison with other countries.

COMMENTARY

Aug 7, 2007

A question of G8 legitimacy

Viewed from the media coverage of the Group of Eight Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, the gathering was dominated by three main issues: environment, missile defense and clashes between demonstrators and police.

COMMENTARY

Jun 4, 2007

Improving Japan-Russia ties

The Japan-Russia Forum, an arena for intellectual dialogue between Japan and Russia, recently met for the first time in 2 1/2 years.

COMMENTARY

Apr 13, 2007

Legacy of Asian liberation

Taiwanese politics appears to be "boiling." Scandals involving political leaders or their relatives have "heated" the political waters. Seen from the perspectives of democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law and justice -- rather than from that of what effects the turmoil might have on Japan-Taiwan relations -- it is not the political scandals themselves that are important but the way in which they are addressed and, in particular, whether there is strict adherence to judicial proceedings and how politicians take responsibility for their actions.

COMMENTARY

Feb 8, 2007

Asia's transformation and the future of Japanese diplomacy

Prior to World War II, Japan's position in the international community was dependent on its power and status in Asia. From the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, it was essential for Japan to have considerable stature within Asia so that the country could associate on equal terms with Western nations and assume a position of influence in the international community. This was a historical imperative rooted in Japan's determination to protect its independence against Western colonial rule in Asia.

COMMENTARY

Dec 22, 2006

New base for reconciliation

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to China in early October was important for several reasons. In the short term, it represented a significant contribution to easing tensions between Tokyo and Beijing. From a long-term perspective, it helped to lay the foundations for a stronger bilateral relationship.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 28, 2006

International role of NPOs

All over the world, culture is being pushed to the sidelines. I am not referring here to commercialized, globalized culture produced purely for entertainment. By "culture," I mean the provision of culture as a public good, such as through foreign-language education, intellectual exchange or groundbreaking theater with little commercial appeal. Nonprofit organizations that engage in exchanges of culture in this sense of the word, such as Germany's Goethe Institute and the Japan Foundation, are having a very hard time.

COMMENTARY

Sep 2, 2006

A bridge to Latin America

The amount of Japanese cultural and educational activities conducted in Latin America has been flat or in decline over the last five years. The Japan Foundation, the largest Japanese nonprofit organization engaged in international cultural exchange, spent around 800 million yen on activities related to Latin America in 2001, but in 2004 this amount fell to 500 million yen, a drop of almost 40 percent.

COMMENTARY

Jul 19, 2006

Cultural diplomacy in the Middle East

Political and economic stability in the Middle East is vital to ensure Japan's energy security and to reduce risks in the global economic system. In the interests of this region's mid- and long-term political stability, it is clearly desirable for "democratization" in the region to take root deeply and widely. The top priority of Japan's cultural diplomacy in the Middle East, therefore, must be to promote democratization by both direct and indirect means.

COMMENTARY

Jun 22, 2006

Freedoms and responsibilities

The international community has been watching the rise of China and India with interest, and two recent events symbolize the growing stature of these two countries. One was the so-called Google incident. In the course of its entry into China's Internet services market, Google Inc., a major American corporation, is said to have bowed to the wishes of the Chinese authorities by promising to suppress the distribution of information critical of the Chinese government. Google had previously resisted intervention by the U.S. government even with regard to information on criminal investigations and terrorist activities, trumpeting its commitment to the freedom of information, but it is now facing international criticism on the grounds that it caved in on this very point to China.

COMMENTARY / World

May 20, 2006

Rethinking ties with ASEAN

Japan-ASEAN relations, which have traditionally been underpinned by trade, tourism, investment and official development assistance (ODA), appear to have reached a turning point. This is because most, if not all, 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have become economically mature and have consequently emerged as important partners for Japan, rather than as recipients of Japanese goods, money and technology.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 23, 2006

Responding to new trends in Japanese studies abroad

The world is changing rapidly under the influence of globalization. At the same time, the political, economic and even academic environment surrounding Japanese studies outside Japan has changed a great deal. Traditional motives for studying Japan, such as curiosity in the exotic, the perception of Japan as a menace, and anticipation of political conflicts with Japan, have largely been replaced by other incentives.

COMMENTARY

Jan 16, 2006

Heretical to the Asia concept

The European Union is a community founded on the concept of Europe. This concept has been nurtured by the historical consciousness of Europeans to overcome national rivalries and to maintain European traditions. The process of consolidating such consciousness has, however, been accompanied by a process of excluding anything that is un-European -- that is, anything, whether political or religious, that deviates from the norm of being "European."

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 10, 2005

Cultural diversity strengthens nations

During UNESCO's recent biannual conference at its Paris headquarters, the United States remained adamant in its opposition to the conclusion of an international convention on cultural diversity. On the surface it appears that the U.S. position is mainly motivated by trade interests. The U.S. seems to be worried that this concept of cultural diversity might be abused to distort international trade. Many American negotiators recall that in the last stage of the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations, the French government, among others, insisted on cultural exceptions to the international convention on investment and free trade.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.

The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces

By Stephen Mansfield

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