Lawsuit challenges Japan’s high standard for refugees

In early March, four Syrian men filed a lawsuit against Japan’s Ministry of Justice, challenging the rejection of their refugee applications.  The group arrived in Japan in 2012 and applied for refugee status, citing the potential for persecution for their participation in pro-democracy protests against the Syrian government.  The Ministry rejected their refugee status in … Read more

Critical Analysis: Parents get “left behind” due to Japan’s hesitance

November 17, 2014 In 2013, Japan joined the Hague convention on the civil aspects of child abduction. The convention took effect on April 1, 2014. In October 2014, a child has been returned to his father. The boy was born in Germany to a German father and a Japanese mother. He lived in Germany until … Read more

Critical Analysis: China’s Air Defense Identification Zone

On November 23, 2013, China declared an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which stated that “aircraft in the area must report their flight plans to China, maintain two-way radio and clearly mark their nationalities on the aircraft.”  China’s declaration has drawn harsh criticism from Japan and the United States. While ADIZs are not a new … Read more

Critical Analysis: U.S. B-52s Cause More Buzz Over Disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands

On Monday, November 26, the United States sent two B-52 bombers over a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea after China recently declared that the islands were within the country’s air defense zone. The disputed islands, called the Diaoyu Islands by the Chinese, and the Senkaku Islands by the Japanese, are at … Read more

Critical Analysis: Australia and Japan head to the ICJ

From June 26th to July 16th the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hear arguments from Australia and Japan over the dispute concerning Japan’s whaling program. This will be Japan’s first appearance as a party before the ICJ. The court proceeding began in 2010 and has so far cost Australia over $20 million dollars. Australia … Read more

Critical Analysis: Maritime Tensions between China and Japan Increase

Maritime disputes between the Japanese and Chinese continue to escalate. The Japanese-named Senkaku Islands, and the Chinese-named Diaoyu Islands continue to be a major source of conflict between the two nations. Last week, the situation escalated when Japan scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese plane flew over the islands.  Though other island disputes between these … Read more

United States Must Monitor Island Dispute in the South China Sea

China is embroiled in maritime territorial disputes, not only with Japan over control of a group of tiny islands in the East China Sea, but also with The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei over the island chains of the Spratleys and Paracels in the South China Sea.  The dispute with Japan over the Senkaku (in … Read more

Critical Analysis: Fukushima Reactor and Japanese Nuclear Policy

In the wake of wide-scale protests in Tokyo on June 29 over the restart of two Kansai Electric Power Co. nuclear reactors, the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission released an 88-page report that describes Fukushima as a “profoundly man-made disaster.” The report disputes the government’s argument of the failure of the Fukushima cooling systems … Read more