Greetings,
"The Global Forum of Japan (GFJ) E-Letter" is delivered electronically bimonthly, free of charge, to the readers in the world interested in Japanese thinking on the relations of Japan with the rest of the world and other related international affairs by the Global Forum of Japan (GFJ), a private membership organization in Japan for policy-oriented international exchanges.
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WATANABE Mayu, President, GFJ
TAKAHATA Yohei, Vice-President, GFJ
"GFJ Updates"
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"GFJ Updates" introduces to you the latest events, announcements and/or publications of GFJ.
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Event
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"Japan-East Asia Dialogue: Towards Building a Sustainable Society in East Asia" Held
The Global Forum of Japan (GFJ) organized "Japan East Asia Dialogue: Towards Building a Sustainable Society in East Asia" in Tokyo on August 7, 2019, under the co-sponsorship of Meiji Institute of Global Affairs (MIGA), East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore (EAI), The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia and The Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR).
This "Dialogue" was attended by 65 participants including such eminent experts from Japan and all over East Asia, as follows:
Overseas side:
Sarah TONG, Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore (Singapore)
Calvin CHENG Kah Weng, Researcher, Economics, Trade and Regional Integration, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Malaysia)
Kullapa SORATANA, Professor, Naraesuan University (Thailand)
Marife BALLESTEROS, Vice-President, Philippine Institute for Development Studies (Philippines)
Shofwan Al Banna CHOIRUZZAD, Executive Secretary, ASEAN Study Center, University of Indonesia (Indonesia)
XUE Xiaopeng, Vice Dean of International Studies, Dalian University of Foreign Languages (China)
NGUYEN LE Ngoc Anh, Senior Research Fellow, Fellow Researcher, Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (Vietnam)
Bounphieng PHEUAPHETLANGSY, Academic Officer of Research Division, Institute of Foreign Affairs (Laos)
Yuzilawati ABDULLAH, Associate Researcher, Centre for Strategic & Policy Studies (Brunei)
Khin Maung LYNN, Joint Secretary 1, Myanmar Institute of Strategic & International Studies (Myanmar)
Dyakanal SOPHAL, Technical Officer, Ministry of Environment (Cambodia)
Japanese side:
WATANABE Mayu, President, GFJ / Vice President, JFIR
OHTA Hiroshi, Professor, Waseda University
INADA Juichi, Professor, Senshu University
ITO Go, Academic Governor, GFJ / Director of Research, JFIR / Director, MIGA and Professor, Meiji University
In the "Dialogue," lively discussion were held in the three sessions of "Promoting Cooperation and Enhancement in Building 'Smart City' Concept, and the Regional Environment Issues," "Cooperation in Tackling Ocean Plastic Pollution" and "Further Development of a Sustainable Society in East Asia," stressing the need to develop a 'smart city' capable of dealing with the issues like waste managements, to reduce ocean plastics that are severely harming the marine ecology, and to construct an intra-regional information sharing platform on the environmental issues, so that the environmental initiatives such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be fulfilled.
For further details, please refer to "Conference Papers" of the "Dialogue" at the following link:
[Conference Papers]
http://www.gfj.jp/e/dialogue/20190807_cpe.pdf
"GFJ Commentary"
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"GFJ Commentary" presents views of members and/or friends of GFJ on the relations of Japan with the rest of the world and/or other related international affairs. The view expressed herein is the author's own and should not be attributed to GFJ.
A university professor
The LSIS Co., a Korean enterprise with experiences of doing businesses in various places in Japan such as Ibaraki, Ishikawa, and Hokkaido, has announced that it has undertaken construction and management of Morioka Solar Power Plant project in Iwate Prefecture. According to LSIS, it has established a consortium with a Korean engineering firm called Dohwa Engineering and made a 10.5 billion-yen worth deal with a Japanese solar company, which includes 'EPC' (engineering, procurement, and construction) and 'O&M' (operation and maintenance) of the 50 MW generating facility to be built in Morioka City.
This project, which is worth 15 billion yen in total, will begin the construction in 1.25 million square meter property in July, and is scheduled to complete in September 2021, with the capacity of power generation for 6,000 households. As the example of this case illustrates, even amid the worsening diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea, Japan is not a country to impose collective economic sanction like China does, nor its people will not get too nationalistic and engage in boycotting Korean products. And I sincerely wish to ask Korean citizens to know about this.
Meanwhile, on July 4, the Government of Japan updated the licensing policies and procedures on the export to the Republic of Korea, on such products as 3 chemical materials needed for production of semiconductors. From August 1 on, Korea will be removed from the weaver country for the export permission. Despite the negative forecast for Korea where the high tech industry is thriving with the production of electronic devices such as smartphones and semiconductors, which need the 3 materials from Japan that are regulated this time, the Government of Korea says it has well assessed the coming affect and ready to deal with the circumstance.
On the other hand, Japan says this measure has nothing to do with the Korean reactions on the issues regarding 'forced labour' and 'comfort women,' but it is the appropriate security export control. Therefore, by taking what the Government of Japan stated literally, the measure is taken due to the rumors that some in ROK is helping North Korea by illegally trading with, that Japan and the United States are cooperating to counter such situation.
As ones with such understanding, the author, however, worries that the measure will be criticized internationally if Japan does not clarify better that it is the matter of security and the purpose is not to single out Korea, given that the G20 Summit just held. One of the other concerns is how much Japan is coordinating with the US on this action. If Japan acts rather unilaterally, there is always the possibility that the US will not back Japan. In any case, it needs to be followed carefully.
Additionally, boycott on Japanese products is spreading in Korea. The author believes that Japan shall not give in, but it needs to continue the discussion with the Government of Korea, with the international support, by appealing the world solemnly the facts that Japan has already fulfilled its responsibility on past wars. We have to keep in mind that 'eye for eye' will not only leave the issues between the two governments unsolved, but also leaving the ordinary citizens away from Japan.
For more views and opinions in the back number of "GFJ Commentary," the latest of which are as follows, please refer to: http://www.gfj.jp/e/commentary.htm
No.85: "'Reiwa' as an Era of 'Beautiful Harmony' or 'Order and Peace Under the Rule of Law'"
by SHINODA Hideaki, Professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Graduate School
(June 10, 2019)
No.84: "Japan-Korea Relations May Not Need An Easy Mending"
by OKAMOTO Hiroaki, an overseas business owner
(April 25, 2019)
No.83: "A Clear 'No' to Unprepared Immigration Policy"
by NAGASHIMA Akihisa, Member of the House of Representatives / former State Minister of Defense
(February 25, 2019)
No.82: "The Northern Territories Issue Still No Signs of Headway"
by NAKAMURA Jin, former National Paper Writer
(December 25, 2018)
No.81: "What Japan Needs to be Careful of Japan-China Cooperation on BRI"
by MIFUNE Emi, Academic Member, GFJ / Professor, Komazawa University
(October 26, 2018)
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