The rise of China has raised the level of tension throughout Northeast Asia, intensifying competition between China and Japan. Taiwan is often seen as caught between the two, pressured on the one hand by China for closer relations, and lured by shared interests with Japan on the other. This presentation will analyze the current state of Japan-Taiwan relations, explaining why relations have continued to develop despite Chinese pressure and the improvement of cross-straits relations with China. Perhaps the most important factors in the continued development of close Japan-Taiwan relations—despite friction over historical and territorial issues—are the shared liberal and democratic values of the two societies.

Japanese politics has been rocked by major political changes over the last decade, including the reform policies under Prime Minister Koizumi, the subsequent weakening of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the birth of a government under the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, and the recent return to power of the LDP. The dramatic changes of this first decade of the 21st century also reflected major changes in the policy positions and governing theories of major politicians in both parties. This presentation will use data from the joint University of Tokyo-Asahi Survey to analyze the changing political positions of leading politicians and the major political parties.

Featuring:
• Dr. Jarrod Hayes (INTA) as panel chair
• Dr. Brian Woodall (INTA) as panel discussant
• Professor Toshihiro Nakayama (Aoyama Gakuin University), opening comments
• Dr. Madoka Fukuda (Hosei University), speaking on Japan’s policy toward Cross-Strait Relations
• Dr. Chihiro Okawa (Kanagawa University), speaking on Party Politics and Policy