Boosting Japan’s Cybersecurity

Tensions between Japan and China are mounting following the Noda government’s decision to buy and nationalize the Senkaku Islands, and the repercussions have spilled over into cyberspace. Japan must urgently address its cybersecurity vulnerabilities and prepare for cyberthreats. Vandalism in cyberspace quickly followed the Japanese government‘s announcement. China’s largest “hacktivist” group, the Honker Union of […]

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Japan’s Three Options in the East China Sea

  Tensions between Japan and China over the Senkaku (Diaoyu) islands are continuing, as indicated by continued obstacles to Japanese businesses in China, a drastic decline in tourism, and Chinese patrols near the islands.   This is both a Sino-Japanese issue and a part of a broader confrontation between China on one side and the United […]

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Tokyo’s Missing Muscle

Recent rhetoric concerning the East China Sea and the Senkaku Islands, which the Chinese call the Diaoyu Islands, makes it appear that the Japanese government is taking a tougher approach on foreign policy and military affairs. Its decision to purchase the disputed islands in September triggered outrage from China and spawned observations that Japan is […]

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China Wields Economic Club

SINGAPORE — The bitter dispute between China and Japan over their rival claims to ownership of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea has severely strained bilateral political relations. Mishandling or mistakes by either side could trigger a clash between their paramilitary ships, drawing in regular forces and leading to a wider war. As […]

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China Auto Buyers Shun Japanese Cars In Islands Tiff

Further evidence that the fight over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea is having an impact on the global economy: Auto sales in China fell in September for the first time in eight months, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers announced on Wednesday. That’s largely because Chinese consumers are staying away from Japanese brands. The overall […]

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China Hands US Another Big Asia Win

China isn’t very good at foreign policy; that is the only way to make sense of the apparent decision by a number of large Chinese banks to boycott the annual meeting of the World Bank and the IMF scheduled for Tokyo next week. As the WSJ tells us, the decision comes as a result of the latest flare […]

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The Coming Economic Shift?

The dispute between Japan and China over the Senkaku / Diaoyu islandscontinues to simmer. Even as International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde warned about the dangers to the global economyshould the dispute escalate, the fallout from the squabble continues to build momentum.  There was always going to be a risk of economic consequences for both […]

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The Asian Cold War

The roiling dispute over a remote set of rocks in the East China Sea, known to the Japanese as the Senkaku Islands and to the Chinese as the Diaoyus, is more than a mere diplomatic spat between two of the world’s largest economies. It has stripped away the thin veneer of cooperation between the two […]

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Rewards Of A National Brand

“Brand Japan” has long benefited from the strength of Japanese companies in industries as diverse as automotives and music, or “J-pop.” The recent situation in China shows how that close association can also hurt businesses when nationalist sentiments go against them. As big businesses — fairly or unfairly — become the short-term targets of populist […]

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