East Asia Insights | Reinvigorating US-Japan Relations
This issue discusses the perception gap underlying US-Japan relations, which has put the relationship in crisis in the 50 years since the revised US-Japan Security Treaty was signed.
East Asia Insights | Bridging Asia and the Pacific: Japan’s Role in Reinforcing the US Pivot
This issue discusses the Obama administration’s strategy in Asia Pacific, and the importance that this strategy is developed in close collaboration with its closest ally in the region, Japan.
End of an Era: Yamamoto, Top ‘America Hand’ Dies at 76
Tadashi Yamamoto, who brushed shoulders with everyone from Henry A. Kissinger to David Rockefeller as he worked to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Japan, died Sunday at the age of 76. He was a leading member of the generation of “wise men” who rose to prominence, working to maintain friendly relations between the two allies during periods of trade tension.
Health and Human Security
By Susan Hubbard and Keiko Watanabe
The 1994 Human Development Report introduced the idea of human security to the world stage. Since then, several countries—most notably Canada and Japan—have made attempts to integrate the concept into the international policy architecture.
Japan as a Champion of Human Security
By Tomoko Suzuki
For over a decade, Japan has been a vocal champion of the human security approach. This paper looks back to its genesis and how the human security approach persisted as a pillar of Japan’s foreign policy in spite of recent political turmoil characterized by rapid changes in leadership at the highest level of government.
East Asia Insights | Challenges for the US-Japan Alliance in a Changing Asia
This issue focuses on President Obama’s upcoming visit, and hopes that it will lay the groundwork and demonstrates that the US-Japan alliance is going to increase efforts to address issues such as policy toward China and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
East Asia Regional Cooperation on Global Health
By Susan Hubbard
East Asia is experiencing an escalation of seemingly intractable conflicts over territory and history that threaten to undo gains that have been made in building regional institutions and promoting cross-border engagement. We need another watershed moment of cooperation to help open up new avenues of communication across the region. Health is a field that is ripe for that kind of cooperation.
Celebrating Community Health Workers: a Look Back to 2013
By Maya Wedemeyer and Sarah Zimmerman
As the second annual World Health Workers Week draws to a close, we wish to look back at the ways in which community health workers have been honored over the past year – especially for their incredible power for aiding social and economic development through the health sector.
Come on Japan, Get with the Program
Founding a startup today has become the stuff of TV and movies around the world. But in Japan today, founding a tech company is not what you might call super popular. Silicon Valley appreciates a good failure. The Japanese — not so much.
A Toilet for All Techies
There’s really no other way to describe them: The toilets of Japan are fabulous. But most U.S. consumers don’t know there’s a whole wide high-tech toilet world out there. It’s something that has to be tried to be really appreciated, says Bill Strang, president of operations for Toto in the Americas.