(LinkAsia: December 21, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
President Obama is meeting with newly elected Shinzo Abe next month in Washington. Territorial disputes with South Korea and China will be on the agenda. Stability in the region is central to the United States' pivot to Asia. Here's NHK with more.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: December 18, 2012

Reporter:
People in the Obama administration place a high priority on stability in the Asia-Pacific. They have been troubled by the increasing tension between Japan and China over which country owns the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. And they're concerned that if the conflicting claims are allowed to fester it could unsettle the dynamic in the region. They want to see major security policies, and sophisticated diplomacy to calm the situation. US leaders are wary of being drawn into a confrontation because of their alliance with Japan.

Victoria Nuland:
Our message to the new Japanese government will be the new Japanese government will be the same as our message to the former Japanese government which is that we want to see both Japan and China avoid provocative acts. We want to see them talk to each other and work this through by dialogue.

Reporter:
Now Japan is tied up in another territorial dispute with South Korea. US officials would like to see the Japanese put aside their differences with its neighbor over Takeshima islands in the Sea of Japan. American diplomats rely on the partners in both countries to contain the threat of North Korea. As we saw last week, the North Koreans may be well on their way to gaining technology to launch long-range ballistic missiles. President Barack Obama has said that the US-Japan alliance should serve as the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific. The revolving door to the Japanese Prime Minister's office has made it difficult for Obama and those around him to cooperate substantially on any issue. The want a reliable partner, a stable government with a strong mandate that is more coherent in its policies. In short, they would like to see an end to the political volatility.

(LinkAsia: November 9, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
In the wake of Romney's defeat and Obama's victory, Japan's prime minister congratulated the president and stressed the importance of the Japan-US alliance for East Asian security and economic recovery. Here's Japanese public broadcaster NHK with more.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: November 7, 2012

Reporter:
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has congratulated the US President and promised his co-operation. The foreign ministry will also welcome Obama's second term. Senior officials expect the US will maintain its international policies, including its focus on Asia. But problems remain in Japan-US ties. There is the stalled plan to relocate the Marine Corps' Futenma Station in Okinawa. The deployment of the US transport aircraft, the Osprey, is another sticking point. Defense officials have yet to convince local populations to accept training flights over their neighborhoods. In Okinawa, people are calling for stronger controls on US troops after the recent sexual assault of a woman by US servicemen.

On the economy, Japanese officials will be preparing a response should the US press Japan into joining free trade talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. There may be friction if the US insists Japan drop its tariffs.

But overall, Obama's win should be good for Japan. There's the chance of stronger US ties. With China relations gone sour over the Senkaku conflict, that's sure to be re-assuring.

Jun Oikawa. NHK World, Tokyo.

(LinkAsia: October 19, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Japan and China have a big economic stake in each other. Their trading relationship is worth over $300 billion every year. But now, anti-Japan sentiment in China has driven down the sales of Japanese cars to the point that some Japanese brand names are disappearing from Chinese roads. For more on this story, here's Japanese broadcaster NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: October 16, 2012

Reporter:
Nissan Motors unveiled a new passenger car last month, developed especially for the Chinese market. Nissan is a top seller of Japanese cars in China. The price of the 1600 c.c. Runabout starts from about $11,000 - almost the same as Chinese models. Nissan kept costs down by using more locally-made parts. Nissan executives hoped the new car launch would jump-start sales in the country. But the timing couldn't have been worse. Anti-Japanese sentiment is running high. Company managers say the impact on sales has been larger than expected.

Carlos Ghosn:
This is the kind of crisis we really that we really don't like because it is completely outside the reach of the companies. You know, political situation is very emotional between the two countries, and you're caught in the middle.

Reporter:
Japanese automakers have been forced to keep a lower profile since the Senkaku issue erupted. That means less, sometimes no product promotion. This motor show held in Tianjin last month is a key event on the industry calendar. But Honda, Mitsubishi and Fuji all pulled out at the last moment. The situation is made worse by a spreading consumer boycott targeting Japanese products.

Anonymous:
Because of the Senkaku issue, I'm going to buy a German car.

Anonymous:
Given the political problems I don't think it's a good idea to buy a Japanese car now.

Reporter:
One dealer of European cars is offering what they call "a patriotic service." It's a discount offer. Customers who replace their Japanese vehicles get more than $700 off the sticker price.

Anonymous:
We offer the patriotic service to peoplereplacing Japanese cars, no matter what brand they are.

Reporter:
Declining sales are now affecting output. Toyota and Nissan scaled back local production from September through October. Some plants cut operating days or shortened operating hours. More assembly lines could follow suit. Managers of Japanese automakers say they hope the sale slump is just a 'bump in the road' for their Chinese operations. But that could all depend on an improvement in Japan-China relations and there's no sign of that happening anytime soon. Akirhiro Mikoda, NHK World, Tianjin.

Yul Kwon:
Due to poor sales, Toyota is closing its Tianjin production plant for five days next week. Toyota's sales in China fell by almost 50 percent in September.

(LinkAsia: September 28, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
You would think that when the Chinese uses phrases like the "anti-fascist war" and accuse a "defeated country" of not recognizing the territorial rights of "a victorious nation", this would pretty much signal that relations between China and Japan are going into a deep freeze. But NHK talked to one Japanese expert who doesn't think that's the case.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: September 27, 2012

Akio Takahara:
Japan and China have never been closer before. We have thousands of years of a relationship, but now is the best in a way in the sense that economic exchange, cultural exchange, people to people exchange- the level of these things is higher than ever. So, we have to - don't just focus on the negative aspects of things, we have this great resilience in the relationship.

Reporter:
He said internal changes in China have helped inflame tensions.

Akio Takahara:
China is rising. And there's been an increase in the budgets of these law enforcement agencies, particularly in the sea. The people in China would expect them to be more assertive, particularly regarding issues of sovereignty.

Reporter:
Takahara says people on both sides have to understand the complexity of their ties.

Akio Takahara:
Everyone should pay more attention to this situation, and try to strengthen the resilience in the relationship. And try the weaken the fragility in the relationship. I think the forty year protest has taught us this.