scholarly journals THE YASUKUNI SHRINE PROBLEM IN THE EAST ASIAN CONTEXT: RELIGION AND POLITICS IN MODERN JAPAN

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-251
Author(s):  
Okuyama Michiaki
Keyword(s):  
East Asian ◽  
Religion And Politics ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Documentary Films ◽  
Court Cases ◽  
War Criminals ◽  
Chinese Official ◽  
Asian Context ◽  
Yasukuni Shrine ◽  
Asian People

The problem of issues surrounding Yasukuni Shrine is one of the main topics in religion and politics in contemporary Japan. This paper tries to approach the Yasukuni Shrine problem, first by contextualizing this problem in the East Asian settings, then by reviewing the recent court cases surrounding Yasukuni Shrine, and finally by commenting on two documentary films focusing on this problem. Examining the reactions by the Chinese government to the visits paid by Japanese politicians since the mid-1970s shows that these visits, to the place where the class A war criminals are enshrined, has been regarded in the Chinese official view as offensive to the victims of the aggressive wars of Japan. The recent court cases targeting mainly the former Prime Minister Koizumi’s repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine are worth special attention because they have involved Koreans and Taiwanese besides Japanese as the plaintiffs. These cases have presented constitutional points of dispute for both Japanese and other Asian people. These situations have set the backdrop of the production and screening of the documentary films, Annyong, Sayonara (2005), and Yasukuni (2007). These two films illustrate not only the current problem of Yasukuni Shrine but also the surrounding setting of this problem in East Asia.

scholarly journals A LOOK AT RELIGION IN JAPAN

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-23
Author(s):  
Reimon Bachika
Keyword(s):  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Religion And Politics ◽  
Traditional Religion ◽  
Religious Institution ◽  
Additional Note ◽  
The Future ◽  
Yasukuni Shrine ◽  
Popular Image

Seen in terms of culture, the theme of religion and politics in Japan, as everywhere else, is complicated, the more so because religion in this country is highly complicated. This essay—the aim of which is descriptive, not analytic—is an attempt at drawing a concrete picture of Shinto and Buddhism, both of which incorporate multiple strands of traditional religion. It is these that have shaped Japanese religiosity and culture. Politically prominent features are put up in front so to speak: that is, impressions of a visit to the Yasukuni Shrine and a note on Yasukuni as a religious institution. An account of religious pluralism and the ‘religious division of labor’ constitute the central part, followed by a section on the characteristics of religion in Japan. Further, because religiously and politically momentous, an additional note is included about the popular image of Japan’s imperial throne. Finally, to emphasize the significance of religion, the essay ends with a word of hope for the future of religion.

scholarly journals Chasing Ghosts: Rumours and Representations of the Export of Chinese Convict Labour to Developing Countries

2012 ◽  
Vol 210 ◽  
pp. 398-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Hairong ◽  
Barry Sautman
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Grass Roots ◽  
Local Media ◽  
Chinese Official ◽  
Global Discourse ◽  
Recent Addition ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Opposition Parties

AbstractA recent addition to the global discourse of China's interaction with developing countries has been the claim that the Chinese government exports prison labour to these countries. While no evidence is ever presented to support this claim, it has been widely circulated in international and local media, as well as on the internet. This article examines the origins of the rumour and the mechanisms of its transmission. It shows that while the rumour often originates at the grass roots in developing countries, it is promoted locally and globally by political, economic and media elites with distinct agendas that often involve building support for opposition parties, competition in obtaining contracts, or geo-strategic and ideological rivalry. We analyse the rumour's circulation in light of the larger discourse on China and developing countries, and discuss why Chinese official responses to the claim have proved to be ineffective.

Exploring the Notion of ‘Technology as a Public Good’

2013 ◽  
pp. 1472-1488
Author(s):  
Sunnie Lee Watson ◽  
Thalia Mulvihill
Keyword(s):  
Public Good ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Information Communication Technologies ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Asian Context ◽  
Active Policy ◽  
Research Recommendations

This chapter aims to explore the historical, sociological, and economic factors that engender inequities related to digital technologies in the East Asian educational context. By employing critical social theory perspectives, the chapter discusses and argues for the notion of “Technology as a Public Good” by examining the Chinese, Japanese and Korean societies’ digital divide. This chapter examines how East Asian societies are exhibiting similar yet different problems in providing equitable access to information communication technologies to the less advantaged due to previously existing social structures, and discusses the urgency of addressing these issues. Based on the analysis of the digital divide in the East Asian context, this chapter also proposes and argues for the notion of “technology as a public good” in public and educational policies for information communication technologies. Finally, the chapter invites policymakers, researchers and educators to explore a more active policy approach regarding the digital divide solution, and provides specific future research recommendations for ICT policies and policy implementation in digital divide solutions.

scholarly journals Are Production Networks Passé in East Asia? Not Yet

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 86-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayako Obashi ◽  
Fukunari Kimura
Keyword(s):  
International Trade ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Trade Data ◽  
International Production ◽  
End Products ◽  
Great Trade Collapse ◽  
Primary Goods ◽  
Asian Context

Many people have a vague notion that the room for expanding international production networks is almost exhausted and that therefore international trade has slowed down since the recovery from the great trade collapse. This paper presents evidence against such a belief in the East Asian context by classifying finely disaggregated trade data based on the stages of the production process. The trade slowdown was attributed mainly to sluggishness of trade in primary goods and processed raw materials. In contrast, East Asian trade in manufactured parts and components and the assembled end-products within production networks continued to expand steadily.

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