Tampa Prep 2009-2010 Impact Defense File
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- AT: Japanese-South Korean Relations
AT: Japanese Soft PowerJapan will inevitably lose soft power- structural problems prevent retention of power Yoel Sano, Asia Times, ‘The Rising Sun slowly sets,” Apr 27, 2006, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/HD27Dh01.html As Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi celebrates his fifth anniversary in office, there is a general feeling that Japan is finally recovering from more than a decade of intermittent recession. While Japan may indeed experience faster economic growth over the coming years, the country's myriad structural problems - especially in economic and demographic terms - suggest that its global influence will wane substantially over the next few decades. None of this portends disaster for Japan. Rather, the country will gradually be eclipsed by other newly ascendant nations, China and India among them. Moreover, it will be impossible for Japanese politicians to reverse this decline, since most of the solutions would be unacceptable to the public and to Japan's neighbors.
Moreover, Japan does not represent any universal values and ideals while certain Western nations, especially the US, champion human rights and democracy. Even though Tokyo recently adopted the rhetoric of democracy and human rights, other Asians do not necessarily view Japan as the paragon of these values given its poor treatment of ethnic minorities (Japan-born Koreans and the Burakumins) and memories of wartime atrocities among the Chinese and Koreans. Japanese soft power will stay high --- culturally and economically resilient Nye, 05 – distinguished expert on soft power and professor at Harvard (Joseph S. Nye, “Soft Power Matters in Asia,” Belfer Center, December 5, 2005, http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/1486/soft_power_matters_in_asia.html) Asia's resurgence began with Japan's economic success. By the end of the century, Japan's remarkable performance not only made the Japanese wealthy, but also enhanced the country's soft power. As the first non-Western country that drew even with the West in modernity while showing that it is possible to maintain a unique culture, Japan has more potential soft-power resources than any other Asian country. Today Japan ranks first in the world in the number of patents, third in expenditure on research and development as a share of GDP, second in book sales and music sales, and highest for life expectancy. It is home to three of the top 25 multinational brand names (Toyota, Honda, and Sony). The decade-long economic slowdown of the 1990s tarnished Japan's reputation, but it did not erase Japan's soft-power resources. Japan's global cultural influence grew in areas ranging from fashion, food and pop music to consumer electronics, architecture and art. Japanese manufacturers rule the roost in home video games. Pokemon cartoons are broadcast in 65 countries, and Japanese animation is a huge hit with filmmakers and teenagers everywhere. In short, Japan's popular culture was still producing potential soft-power resources even after its economy slowed down. Now, with signs of a reviving economy, Japan's soft power may increase even more. But there are limits. Unlike Germany, which repudiated its past aggression and reconciled with its neighbors in the framework of the European Union, Japan has never come to terms with its record in the 1930s and 1940s. The residual suspicion that lingers in countries like China and Korea sets limits on Japan's appeal that are reinforced every time the Japanese prime minister visits Yasukuni Shrine. AT: Japanese-South Korean RelationsJapan-South Korea relations will stay strong – deeply related and interconnected Pan, 05 – staff writer on the Council on Foreign Relations (Esther Pan, “Japan’s Relationship with South Korea,” Council on Foreign Relations, October 27, 2005, http://www.cfr.org/publication/9108/japans_relationship_with_south_korea.html) Experts say the leaders of both countries, in calmer moments, know they’re deeply interrelated on many levels and must depend on each other. Their societies have become deeply connected: Japan and South Korea jointly hosted the successful 2002 World Cup, and Korean culture is currently a huge hit in Japan. A South Korean soap opera, Winter Sonata, is wildly popular in Japan. The show’s star Bae Yong Jun has become a heartthrob to millions of Japanese women, who make pilgrimages to sites in South Korea where the show is filmed. 2005 was designated the Korea-Japan Friendship Year to mark forty years of diplomatic relations. While it’s been a bit rocky so far, the overall picture is still good, experts say. “Relations are not as bad as they appear from the outside,” Armstrong says. “Much of the protest is for domestic consumption.” Even the hubbub over the Yasukuni shrine will blow over, Kang predicts. “The shrine issue is diplomatic squabbling,” he says. “It’s very low on the scale of conflicts.” Current governments represent a new era in Japan-South Korea relations Jee-Ho, 09 – JoongAng Daily writer and Asian correspondent (Yoo Jee-Ho, “Korea Hopes for New Era in Japan Relations,” JoongAng Daily, September 1, 2009, http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2909498) South Korean President Lee Myung-bak yesterday said he hoped for a new era in South Korea-Japan relations in a congratulatory call to Yukio Hatoyama, the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan that ousted the Liberal Democratic Party in a landslide election victory on Sunday.According to Blue House spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye, Lee noted Hatoyama’s “politics of friendship” and said the two close neighbors would enter a new phase in relations. In response, Hatoyama said he believed he and Lee could realize a progressive relationship between the two countries because “we’re both able to view history correctly.” Lee said in return that the historical issues between the two countries “are quite difficult” to resolve, but as long as the two can share a proper sense of history, “We can move toward the future hand in hand.” Hatoyama said Lee was the first head of state to contact him after his victory. In June, Hatoyama chose South Korea as his first destination for an overseas trip after taking over the DPJ leadership the previous month. South Korean officials yesterday expressed cautious optimism that the change of leadership in Japan would help improve Korea-Japan relations, while academics said they don’t foresee major changes in the diplomatic stances of the two countries. In Sunday’s landslide election victory, the Democratic Party of Japan upended the Liberal Democratic Party, which had ruled Japan for all but 11 months since 1955. In light of the DPJ’s win, South Korean government officials offered guarded hopes about the chances for improved relations between South Korea and Japan. An official at the Blue House said late Sunday, as the exit polls projected a victory for the DPJ, the results of the election were a “reflection of the Japanese people’s desire for change and reform.” He added, “We hope this will be an opportunity to take South Korea-Japan relations to another level.” Another Blue House official pointed out that Hatoyama, leader of the DPJ and the likely successor to Taro Aso as the next prime minister, has repeatedly highlighted the importance of Japan’s relations with South Korea. The Foreign Ministry in Seoul, on the other hand, refrained from predicting major changes to South Korea’s policy toward Japan, or to South Korea-Japan relations. Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said it is premature to predict where Seoul-Tokyo relations will go from here. “Rather than comment on the issue in the immediate aftermath of the election, we will offer our view after the new Japanese government is inaugurated,” Moon said. “But we are aware that the Democratic Party of Japan has emphasized Japan’s ties with South Korea.” Directory: files -> documents documents -> North Mankato Taylor Library documents -> In the Red and Brown Water documents -> - documents -> I. Disaster Summary Sheet II. 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