How has the crisis in Japan affected Japan’s global engagement?  That is the common theme of two articles recently published by APCSS’ Dr. Jeffrey Hornung.

“When Disaster isn’t a Zero-Sum Game” appears in The Diplomat online magazine.  

Excerpt: “Since last month, Japan’s leadership has understandably been focusing on managing the aftermath of the three-fold disaster that struck the north-east of the country. But as it grapples with the enormous projected cost of years of reconstruction efforts, one question has received much less attention: How will the crisis affect Japan’s global engagement? The answer is more encouraging than you might think.”

You can read the full article online at: http://the-diplomat.com/2011/04/29/when-disaster-isnt-a-zero-sum-game/

Dr. Hornung was also featured in the Pacific Forum CSIS’ PACNET newsletter with an article entitled “Amidst Cooperation, “Normalcy” Returns to Northeast Asia.”

Excerpt:  “Prior to Japan’s March 11 earthquakes and tsunami, Northeast Asian relations were not altogether encouraging. Tokyo and Beijing staggered from an acrimonious dispute to increasingly tense relations in the East China Sea. Tokyo was also frustrated with Moscow’s strengthening of control over the contested Northern Territories (the South Kuril Islands to the Russians). Although Tokyo and Seoul were pursuing a more positive dialogue, territorial disputes remained unresolved. While assistance offered Japan by its neighbors following the March 11 disasters briefly subsumed the politics of history in Northeast Asia, the goodwill appears to be waning as territorial disputes reemerge amid the cooperation.”

You can read the article online at: http://csis.org/files/publication/pac1125.pdf

Jeffrey Hornung [hornungj@apcss.org] is an Associate Professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, US Pacific Command, the US Department of Defense, or the US government.