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Hither and Yon

Japan’s ‘peace constitution’ on the brink as NE Asia braces for war

October 27, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

TOKYO -- The overwhelming success of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the latest elections for members of the Japanese “Diet” ― the peculiar word for Japan’s parliament or national assembly ― portends hardening of tensions and priorities in Northeast Asia.

Yes, Abe would dearly like to revise Japan’ Read More 
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The Seoul Air Show, an exercise by U.S. ‘decapitation’ team and daydreams of a Trump-Kim sit-down at the DMZ

October 20, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

The line-up of warplanes on display beside the runway at Seoul Air Base has got to be intimidating. The sight of the latest American F35s and F22s along with all those South Korean fighters may  Read More 
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Playing defense: Who are Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump kidding with their war of words?

September 24, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

It wasn’t exactly a declaration of war, but it did come close. What else to make of President Trump’s remark that the U.S. might “totally destroy North Korea”? It was one thing to belittle Kim Jong-Un as “rocket man” but quite another to  Read More 
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Having sworn to ‘forever renounce war’, Japan still alone in a tough neighborhood

May 4, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

TOKYO -- The shadows of war lengthen over Japanese society in thrall to Article 9 of a “peace constitution” foisted under the “occupation” led by the victorious World War II Pacific commander, Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Much as the “rightist” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might want to do away  Read More 
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Amid the Korean nuclear showdown, don’t forget the trade gap that threatens the western alliance

April 20, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

All the talk over what to do with North Korea overlooks one problem to which people are not paying that much attention. That’s the yawning gap in trade between the U.S. and all its leading trade partners.

It’s a lot easier to grasp  Read More 
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Memo to President-elect Trump: Beware of the experts on East Asia’s chessboard

By World Tribune on November 24, 2016
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

The process of “making America great again” is filled with perils and pitfalls, nowhere more so than in Asia.

The intricacies and subtleties of the Great Game for Asia often are about as incomprehensible to the experts as they are to amateurs  Read More 
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North Korea and the Left love ‘democratic’ protests that back their agendas

By World Tribune on November 17, 2016
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

Too bad President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call to President Park Geun-Hye the day after his victory may be his only chance to talk with her. Even if she’s still in the Blue House when he moves into the White House,  Read More 
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Asian summitry roars to a climax: With so much talk, what could go wrong?

Special to WorldTribune.com
By Donald Kirk, EastAsiaIntel.com
It’s the season for summits with heavy overtones for Northeast Asia. After President Park Geun-Hye met President Barack Obama in Washington and President Xi Jinping in Beijing, after Xi met Obama in Washington, after President Putin saw Obama at the United Nations and Xi  Read More 
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Asian summitry roars to a climax: With so much talk, what could go wrong?

Special to WorldTribune.com
By Donald Kirk, EastAsiaIntel.com
It’s the season for summits with heavy overtones for Northeast Asia. After President Park Geun-Hye met President Barack Obama in Washington and President Xi Jinping in Beijing, after Xi met Obama in Washington, after President Putin saw Obama at the United Nations and Xi  Read More 
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Korea vs. Japan: 70 years after WWII, can we just move on? Apparently not

Special to WorldTribune.com
By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com
SEOUL — Maybe Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, should have kept his mouth shut.
No matter what he might have said on the 70th anniversary of the Japanese surrender, he would be the target of intensive criticism. The fact is the Japanese are done with  Read More 
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