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Yosuke Naito

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JAPAN

Feb 3, 2000

Europe ethnic strife solutions a lesson for Asia: OSCE chief

Staff writer Asia can learn from Europe's experiences in tackling ethnic minority problems in order to reduce potential conflict, according to a senior European official in charge of ethnic minority issues in the region. "It is possible to find ways that would avoid splitting up a state and satisfy the basic needs of minorities at the same time," said Max Van Der Stoel, 75, high commissioner on national minorities at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. "You can do this through decentralization and a variety of ways." Van Der Stoel, a former Dutch foreign minister, was in Japan from Sunday through Thursday to participate in a study on the prevention of ethnic conflicts by the government-affiliated National Institute for Research Advancement. Asian and European countries should jointly study the creation of what he calls "bodies for dialogue" and "instruments of coalition" based on their experiences of ethnic conflicts, Van Der Stoel said in an interview. Since becoming OSCE high commissioner in 1993, Van Der Stoel has visited several European countries embroiled in ethnic wars and made specific recommendations to the governments to resolve the strife. Complex political considerations, however, have prompted governments representing the interest of certain ethnic groups to ignore or reject the OSCE recommendations, he said. "I have tried to get involved in Kosovo, but the difficulty is that (Yugoslav President Slobodan) Milosevic has constantly refused me a visa," he said. Touching on ethnic minority issues in Asia, including East Timor and Tibet, Van Der Stoel said, "The main problem is excessive nationalism that respects the interest of one group and ignores the interests of others." Van Der Stoel, who has been engaged in ethnic language education in Romania and Macedonia, said Asian countries troubled with ethnic minority problems should promote ethnic rights through education. By enhancing ethnic language education, these countries will be able to preserve the identity of minority groups and foster governments that can accommodate their various perspectives, he said.

JAPAN

Feb 2, 2000

KEDO ready to begin construction on nuclear reactors

Staff writer Full-scale construction of two light-water reactors in North Korea is set to begin by mid-February, Desaix Anderson, executive director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, said in an interview. On Monday in Tokyo, Japan signed a loan agreement with KEDO to provide up to 116.5 billion yen to finance construction of the reactors, completing the funding of the project under a 1994 U.S.-North Korean accord on Pyongyang's abandonment of its nuclear development program. Anderson arrived in Japan on Sunday to sign the agreement, which, together with other arrangements made in December between KEDO and South Korea has enabled primary construction of the reactors to begin in Kumho, northeastern North Korea. "There have been some doubts in Pyongyang whether we are serious (about the reactor project)," Anderson said Tuesday. "But now with the money available, we are moving ahead full-scale. That will make a lot of difference in terms of North Korea's attitude (toward us)." Although land development had already begun at the reactor site, full-fledged construction of the reactors had long been stalled. "For two years, we have been preparing the landscape in Kumho," Anderson said. "Within a couple of weeks, we will be able to expand what we are doing." Construction of the reactors is financed mainly by South Korea and Japan. Of the estimated $4.6 billion in costs, Seoul pledged to provide $3.22 billion, or 70 percent of the cost, while Tokyo committed 116.5 billion yen, about $1.1 billion. Regarding the timetable for the entire project, however, Anderson said it is still premature to determine a specific schedule, emphasizing instead the importance of engaging Pyongyang in the KEDO process and offering the country a way out of international isolation. Under the initial plan, the reactor project was expected to be finished in 2003, but it came to a standstill in August 1998 when North Korea test-fired a missile over Japan, prompting Tokyo to freeze its financial cooperation to KEDO. Tokyo lifted the ban two months later. Anderson expressed confidence that progress with the reactor project will have a positive impact on talks North Korea has been having with the U.S. and Japan. In light of the plan's advancement and continuing talks, he said, "we are moving forward, entering a new stage -- a very promising one." KEDO is an international energy consortium created in 1995 as agreed in a U.S.-North Korean accord the previous year to provide two light-water reactors with a capacity of 1,000 mw each to North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang's abandonment of its nuclear development program. Until the reactors start operations in the North, Washington is to provide Pyongyang with 500,000 metric tons of heavy fuel oil annually via KEDO to meet Pyongyang's energy demands. Regarding the oil issue, Anderson is optimistic that this year's target amount, which he said is estimated to cost roughly $90 million, will be met as planned. "Last year, we shipped all 500,000 tons. There was no fixed schedule in the agreement with North Korea," he said. "We made last Monday (Jan. 24) the first shipment of the year 2000. We are doing very well."

JAPAN

Jan 28, 2000

World Cup goal is to show off improved ties, new envoy says

Staff writer The 2002 World Cup soccer finals will be a test for Japan and South Korea, joint hosts of the tournament, to demonstrate their enhanced partnership in recent years, according to Japan's new ambassador to South Korea. Terusuke Terada, 61, former ambassador to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, was assigned to his new post earlier this month. He will leave for Seoul in mid-February. "By making painstaking efforts to leave our past behind, Japan and South Korea are striving to build a new partnership aimed at our common future," Terada said in a recent interview. "We should never let our improved ties go backward." Japanese-South Korean relations have taken a significant turn for the better in recent years through mutual visits by the two countries' leaders, namely the October 1998 visit to Tokyo by South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and the visit last March to Seoul by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. During Kim's visit, he and Obuchi issued a joint statement that clarified Japan's apology to the Korean people for its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. It was the first time Tokyo has expressed remorse and issued an apology for the history between the two countries in a document. "Our next common objective is to make the upcoming (joint-hosting of the) World Cup a success," Terada said. "The extent of cooperation between our people will be put to the test as we prepare for the tournament." Terada said he is confident Japan and South Korea will be able to achieve that goal, saying their relations have never been better, both at the government and grassroots level. "A recent poll shows that for the first time in 11 years, the number of Japanese who feel a sense of closeness to South Koreans exceeded the number of those who do not," Terada said. "The World Cup has had a very positive influence on Japan's national sentiment toward South Korea." According to the result of a public opinion poll released last week by the Prime Minister's Office, 48.3 percent of respondents said they feel well-disposed toward South Korea. Although some 46 percent gave a negative answer, the percentage of those who responded negatively has been declining after hitting 60 percent in 1996. The poll was conducted in September and October. Questionnaires were sent to 3,000 people aged 20 and over, and 70.1 percent responded. "In addition to the World Cup, President Kim's policies to gradually lift a ban on Japanese culture, including Japanese movies and music, have also promoted South Koreans' understanding of Japan," Terada said. Touching on North Korea, Terada, a key figure in formulating Japan's policies for the Korean Peninsula, stressed that policy coordination by Japan, South Korea and the United States will continue to be the basis of Tokyo's policies toward Pyongyang. "The three countries' concerted efforts to deal with North Korea since last spring have proved remarkably effective in deterring Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development programs," Terada said. "Japan will closely share information with the U.S. and South Korea as we advance negotiations for normalizing our diplomatic relations with North Korea." Last month, Tokyo and Pyongyang began to move toward resuming normalization talks in two landmark meetings in Beijing: one between the two countries' Red Cross Societies on their humanitarian concerns and another between the two governments on preliminary discussions to resume normalization talks after an almost seven-year hiatus. The Red Cross delegates agreed that the Japanese side will urge Tokyo to quickly provide food aid "from a humanitarian standpoint," while the Pyongyang side will request a relevant institution to launch a "serious search" for missing Japanese that Tokyo believes were abducted by North Korean agents. Meanwhile, the two governments concluded the first round of preliminary talks, agreeing to meet again to lay the groundwork for full-fledged normalization negotiations. As to the timing of such full-scale normalization talks, however, Terada said, "It is difficult to predict how many more preparatory rounds might be necessary, depending on the development of talks on the abduction and food issues."

JAPAN

Jan 25, 2000

Visit from Zhu sought before G8 summit

Japan has asked China to arrange a visit by Prime Minister Zhu Rongji to Japan before the Group of Eight summit in Okinawa in July, Japanese Ambassador to China Sakutaro Tanino said in a recent interview.

JAPAN

Jan 4, 2000

Another Century: Strategies turn to partnerships with Asia

Staff writer For Elok Halimah, 21, an Indonesian student at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, learning Japanese in Tokyo has been a long-term aspiration. "Eventually, I hope I will be able to work for a Japanese company in Indonesia," said Halimah, who came from Jakarta in October. "In Indonesia, public trust in Japanese companies is so firm that many people want to work for them." Her classmate, Anuttaya Supaneedis, a 20-year-old Thai student who arrived from Bangkok in the same month, has a similar motivation. "I hope I can become a flight attendant. But getting this job in Thailand is a big challenge," she said. "I decided to study Japanese because being able to speak that language gives me an edge over my competitors." In the past few decades, Japan's policies toward Asia have produced new generations of Asians like Halimah and Supaneedis. Without the negative experience of Japan's wartime aggression, they have found strong economic incentives to associate with Japan. The views of these young Asians, who might lead their countries in the future, may provide insights into Japan's regional relations in the coming decades. To date, Japan's Asian policies have been characterized by the government's large-scale official development assistance and firms' expanded trade and investment, which is believed to have built the foundations for the region's economic development. In 1998, Japan's ODA amounted to $10.8 billion, up 14 percent from 1997. Of this, $5.37 billion went to Asia. Despite these positive developments, people in Asia have not forgotten the war. Halimah, like many other Indonesians, heard outrageous and humiliating stories from her parents and grandparents about Japan's military ventures in Asia. "For young Indonesians, Japan's wartime aggression is not a matter of concern anymore," she said. "But the fact remains that Japan did hurt our dignity as human beings. I know we won't get anywhere if we stick to the past, but it will take time before we can reconcile in a true sense." As Japan's economic slump lingers, Tokyo's development assistance for Asia has come under tighter budgetary scrutiny, and the government has been urged to comprehensively review its ODA guidelines. Unlike previous guidelines that primarily focused on numerical targets, the most recent ones, adopted last summer, stress "effectiveness" and "efficiency" in providing assistance while abandoning numerical targets. The sluggish economy has also affected Japanese firms' direct investment overseas. According to a survey conducted in November by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, such investments in fiscal 1999 are expected to fall 18.3 percent from the previous term to 1.25 trillion yen. The survey was conducted on 383 out of the nation's 786 companies that operate overseas subsidiaries, the bank said. Unable to keep expanding economic aid to Asia, Japan's public and private sectors have begun focusing on development of human resources in the region. Last August, an economic research mission led by Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Hiroshi Okuda was sent to six Asian countries. Its recommendations became the basis of Japan's new Asian policy framework announced by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi at a meeting last November in Manila of the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus Japan, China and South Korea. "Under the new policies, we will focus on the development of human resources in Asia through public and private efforts," a Foreign Ministry official said. "Such efforts will include enhanced training of experts in Asia not only in the field of production but also in the areas of management, marketing and so on." To achieve these goals, Tokyo will strive to "open up Japan to Asian people" by designing long-term, comprehensive human exchange programs to increase the number of students and job trainees from other parts of Asia, the official said. While companies are following a similar path, their motivation is different. Japanese firms that have expanded their Asian subsidiaries and utilize the local labor force are now under pressure to revise their supervisory systems in an effort to improve productivity and survive global competition. Some electric appliance manufacturers, for example, have taken steps to promote the autonomy of their overseas subsidiaries by training quality local staff as prospective managers at their own factories. "In our industry, giving more autonomy to local branches is an urgent issue," said Ichiro Takemura of Toshiba Corp.'s human resources division. "Because local expertise has become adequate since we began to shift production to (other parts of) Asia earlier in the 1990s, a Tokyo-centered system of supervision is becoming inefficient and unproductive." In response, Toshiba began providing managerial training courses in April 1996 to staffers at its subsidiaries in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and China, Takemura said, noting many classes are now given by local managers themselves. "The training program has been highly appreciated by our local staff," he said. "Their enthusiasm for work, as well as their company loyalty, has increased, leading to higher productivity." Toshiba estimates that 1,200 local staffers participated in the managerial training programs in 1999, Takemura said. The firm currently has a workforce of approximately 16,800 dispersed through 47 subsidiaries in nine Asian economies. Of the manufacturer's worldwide production output in 1998, Asia represented 8.7 percent, the firm's largest overseas production center. Despite these changing policies, it remains to be seen whether Japan will really open up to Asia, because evidence seems to suggest tough times ahead. According to a white paper on education for fiscal 1999 released by the Education Ministry, Japan aims to accommodate 100,000 foreign students at the beginning of the 21st century. Despite this, the number of foreign students enrolled in higher education institutions as of May 1998 was just over 50,000. According to the report, 89.5 percent were students from China, South Korea, Taiwan and other parts of Southeast Asia. According to the report, foreign students in Japan have been decreasing since peaking in 1995 at 53,800, mainly due to the Asian economic crisis that began in 1997. This situation is markedly different to the U.S. experience. Department of Education statistics from 1998 show that the number of foreign students enrolled in higher education institutions during the 1996-1997 school year was 458,000, of which some 216,600, or 47.3 percent, were from East and Southeast Asia. According to Zhu Jianrong, a professor of Chinese studies at Toyo Gakuen University, Japan's social system is often criticized as being discriminatory against non-Western foreigners. He said this makes the country comparably less attractive than countries that include the United States or Canada as a study or work destination for Asias."It is true that many Asian students are attracted by Japan's technological and economic strength," Zhu said. "But at the same time, they know there is only a dim prospect for career promotion in Japan." Although an increasing number of foreigners, mostly Asians and Japanese-Latin Americans, are being granted working visas in Japan, those employed for technical or managerial positions are a minority. According to statistics by the Justice Ministry, the number granted working visas in 1998 increased 8.5 percent from the previous year to about 101,000, of which 5,700, or a mere 5.6 percent, were admitted as technicians. A Labor Ministry survey on the number of foreign workers in Japan in 1998 indicated that of the 114,753 employed at 16,948 firms, almost 90 percent were engaged in manual labor or services. Those from East and Southeast Asia represent 32.7 percent, the second-largest group next to Latin Americans of Japanese descent, the statistics show. A major issue, according to Zhu, is the high number of Asians illegally staying in Japan. He said they are gradually becoming a social segment that can be easily exploited as a cheap source of labor. The Justice Ministry estimated the number of illegal aliens in Japan was nearly 271,000 last January, of which 61.9 percent were from South Korea, China, the Philippines and Thailand. Of the illegal aliens Japan deported in 1997, those employed illegally numbered about 41,000, according to the ministry. "The fact is that illegal aliens, many of whom come from Asia, are becoming the main workforce for small and medium size companies," Zhu said. "Japan should quickly give them legal status and create a social safety net for them by reforming immigration regulations." For economic reasons as well, Japan may have to open up its labor market to people from other parts of Asia in the near future, because the country's labor-intensive industries will not be able to maintain international competitiveness without them. Noting Japan's aging society, the Okuda mission said in its report to Obuchi: "It will soon become necessary to accommodate a foreign workforce in the field of nursing care. Legal authorities, therefore, should quickly review the present immigration standards for these people." This year's Group of Eight summit, which Japan will host in July in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, is a good opportunity for Tokyo to show its resolve to open up before the eyes of Asia and the international community, Zhu argues. "One of the roles Japan is expected to play in the coming years is to bridge Asia and the West," he said. "Japan, therefore, should strive to become a country that can represent Asian perspectives -- a challenge that can be achieved only by nurturing mutual trust between Japanese and (other) Asian people."

JAPAN

Dec 31, 1999

2000 'pivotal' in ties with Pyongyang

Staff writer For better or worse, future historians may characterize 2000 as a pivotal point in Japan's foreign policy toward its hermetic neighbor, North Korea. This is mainly because one of Japan's long-standing diplomatic issues -- normalization talks with Pyongyang -- is likely to enter a critical phase this year. Last month, the two countries finally began to tiptoe toward resuming normalization talks, but it remains to be seen how long this fragile arrangement can last. Japanese-North Korean relations entered a new phase last month after a nonpartisan Diet delegation led by former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama visited Pyongyang from Dec. 1 to 3. The Murayama delegation paved the way toward holding two landmark meetings in Beijing: one between the two countries' Red Cross Societies over humanitarian concerns and another between the two governments on preliminary discussions to resume normalization talks, for the first time in almost seven years. The Red Cross delegates agreed the Japanese side would urge Tokyo to quickly provide food aid to Pyongyang "from a humanitarian standpoint," while the North Koreans would request a relevant institution to launch a "serious search" for missing Japanese believed abducted by North Korean agents. The two governments concluded their preliminary talks in Beijing after agreeing to meet again possibly this month to lay the groundwork for full-fledged normalization negotiations. Despite what seems to be an improvement in relations, Japanese policymakers remain cautious about reading too much into the recent development. "The Murayama mission achieved a breakthrough in our deadlocked relations and enabled our first governmental encounter in recent years to take place," Foreign Minister Yohei Kono told a news conference. "But that doesn't mean we will be able to immediately launch normalization talks." Regarding food aid, Kono said a proper environment for Japan to make such a move has yet to be created, noting Tokyo must "comprehensively analyze North Korea's reactions to the humanitarian concerns Japan has addressed." The road leading to the normalization talks may still be rocky, as indicated by the announcement earlier this week by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency that a Japanese man was detained in early December for spying on the reclusive state. Behind Japan's stance is a foreign policy dilemma caused by two different objectives Tokyo must pursue simultaneously: settling individual problems while reducing tension, and ensuring stability on the Korean Peninsula. "Since we are concerned about public opinion regarding our foreign policy, we will continue to pursue the suspected abductions by North Korea," said a senior ministry official who declined to be named. "But we must avoid the worst-case scenario -- North Korea backing away from engagement with Japan, the U.S. and South Korea." North Korea's agreement with Washington last year on a missile moratorium, for example, came as a result of concerted efforts by the three countries to peacefully engage Pyongyang in the international community. As long as any advancement in Japanese-North Korean negotiations is measured by progress in the abduction issue, however, Japan should be ready for "a tough road ahead," the official said.In fact, Japan and North Korea broke off normalization talks -- which had lasted for nearly two years -- in late 1992 due to Pyongyang's refusal to provide information, despite repeated requests by Tokyo, on a Japanese woman believed kidnapped by North Korean agents and taken to the Stalinist state. Tokyo believes that some 10 Japanese have been abducted by Pyongyang to date, mainly in the 1970s and 1980s. North Korea calls these claims groundless. Such concerns were also voiced when the government decided Dec. 14 to lift a ban on food aid as well as the suspension of normalization talks -- the last remaining sanctions imposed on North Korea after it test-fired a missile over Japan in August 1998. Before approving the government's decision, some members of the Liberal Democratic Party had reportedly argued that food aid should not be resumed without assurances of progress on the abduction issue. Against this backdrop, the government has maintained a low profile in advancing normalization negotiations. "We cannot rule out the possibility that normalization talks might be disrupted again due to negotiations centering on food aid and the abductions," the official said.

JAPAN

Nov 9, 1999

Pakistan links CTBT signing to end of sanctions

JAPAN

Oct 22, 1999

Latin America urged to help KEDO process with oil

JAPAN

Oct 14, 1999

Queensland seeks biotech exchange with Japan

JAPAN

Oct 6, 1999

Japan dangles new carrot in Pyongyang's face

JAPAN

Sep 27, 1999

Private-sector security forum explores Northeast Asia, TMD

JAPAN

Sep 15, 1999

New ambassador looks to further U.S. ties

The government is closely watching Okinawa's efforts to select a new site for the U.S. Marine Corps heliport now at Futenma Air Station, with hope of seeing early progress in completing the process long-stalled by local opposition, Japan's new ambassador to the Unites States said.

JAPAN

Sep 10, 1999

Diplomacy central to Obuchi's APEC agenda

JAPAN

Jul 20, 1999

Slovakia, Japan pursue U.N. Security Council reform

JAPAN

Jul 7, 1999

Economic progress hoped for at China summit

JAPAN

Jun 16, 1999

Surprise GDP result arms Obuchi for Cologne

For Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, the coming summit in Cologne, Germany, of the industrialized world's leaders comes at an optimal time.

JAPAN

Apr 28, 1999

Obuchi visit may not be all smiles

JAPAN

Apr 13, 1999

Djibouti ambassador sees chance to improve ties

JAPAN

Feb 26, 1999

Opertti to tackle UNSC reform with principles, not seats

Reform of the United Nations Security Council should be based on the principles of equitable regional representation and contribution to U.N. activities, a senior U.N. official visiting Japan argues.

JAPAN

Feb 24, 1999

Cambodia aid donors mull $450 million aid package

Aid donors to Cambodia are likely to pledge a total of $450 million in economic aid to Phnom Penh during a two-day meeting of the Consultative Group for Cambodia beginning today in Tokyo, according to the chairman of the meeting.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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