Globaltalk MIGA, and the Impoundment of the Mitsui Cargo Vessel

I will be writing a column, hopefully regularly, for the Meiji Institute for Global Affairs (MIGA) website. My first installmenI will be writing a column, hopefully regularly, for the Meiji Institute for Global Affairs (MIGA) website. My first installment takes up “The Impoundment of the Mitsui Cargo Vessel” in China. When I first offered my take to a group of Japanese businessmen over lunch on April 26 and wrote it up later that day, it was going against the grain of virtually the entire Japanese media except Asahi (who else?), which in addition to the negative response carried the opinion of a Japanese expert who stated that the “‘[Shanghai Maritime] Court may not be seeing this case as a post-war reparation issue’ and that caution should be exercised in identifying the true intent of the Chinese side.” Unfortunately, bits and pieces of Golden Week apparently got in the way, and the draft lay in the editorial pipeline for a week, during which similar takes began emerging in the public sphere. I hope to be more topical next time.

I do intend to resume blogging, too. If you are interested, please stay tuned.