Korean Peninsula

  • Japan should avoid unnecessarily provoking China－On the Occasion of the Renewal of the National Security Strategy

    Akio KawatoFormer Ambassador to Uzbekistan; Former DCM, Embassy of Japan in Russia . (Japan is currently conducting its once-every-few-years review of national security policy. As a result, the country’s three core strategic documents—the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the Defense Buildup Program—are being revised. Recently, the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) published a collection of…

  • Will U.S.–North Korea Relations Start Moving Again? And What Should Japan Do?

    .　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Akio KAWATO On the 14th, almost at the same moment that President Trump announced a ceasefire agreement with Iran, he posted on social media an old photograph of himself standing beside Kim Jong Un. Perhaps he was sending a message: “Iran is done. North Korea is next.” . It is not a bad idea. If the historical grievances and accumulated…