(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: December 14, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
So, perhaps the North Korean missile is more of a long-term threat than an imminent one. But, will it have a political effect? South Koreans go to the polls on December 19th to elect a new president. Japan's public broadcaster, NHK has this report on how the rocket might affect voters.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: December 12, 2012

Reporter:
I'm standing at the unification observatory only two kilometers from the North Korean border. From here we have not detected any unusual activity on the other side that might be related to the missile launch. However, on this side, the presidential race is entering its final phase. The launch has definitely raised concerns about security. People in Seoul are expressing dismay and anger.

Seoul Resident:
A missile launch is totally unacceptable. We belong to the same race, but I never understand what they are trying to achieve through such an act.

Seoul Resident:
I was shocked they did this just before South Korea's presidential election. We need to beef up our national security.

Reporter:
South Korea's foreign minister Kim Song-hun condemned the North's decision to push forward with what it called a provocative act. He said the launch is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions. President Lee Myung-bak has maintained a hard-line policy against the North. During his five year term, Pyongyang has carried out three long-range missile launches and one nuclear experiment. There have been other military provocations. The North shelled Yongpyang Island and is said to have sunk a South Korean naval patrol ship in the Yellow Sea. And the presidential election next week, the two main contenders stressing the need to improve North-South relations, but people are taking a realistic view. Recent polls show many citizens feel that they don't support hard-line policies against the North. Nor do they believe in appeasement. The North missile launch is expected to influence voters' decisions.

(LinkAsia: December 7, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Moving now to North Korea. Back in April, the country defied sanctions and attempted to launch a rocket. It failed, but the country seems to be upholding the old saying "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." But will this launch prove to be successful? Here's NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: December 4, 2012

Reporter:
The ballistic missile launch will be the second since Kim Jong-un took power a year ago. It will use the same launch pad at Tongchang-ri, a site in the northwestern part of the country. Before the first test in April, officials in Pyongyang said the 30-meter, three-stage rocket was meant to carry a satellite, but Japan the United States and South Korea said the launch was in fact a ballistic missile test. The test ended in failure with a rocket exploding in mid-air two minutes after liftoff. It broke into more than 10 pieces and fell into the ocean. Analysts say North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un wants to correct this failure before the first anniversary of his father's death on December 17th. Kim may also be trying to consolidate his power base by showing his dedication to a military first policy. Kim has also vowed to develop North Korea's economy.

Kim Jong Un:
We must start on a path of industrial revolution for the new century to make North Korea a great economic power.

Reporter:
But there are no tangible signs of improvement. The UN World Food Program says that 60 million North Koreans, or nearly 70 percent of the population, suffer from malnutrition. North Korea's relations with the outside world are at a standstill. Last February, the United States agreed to provide food aid in exchange for a freeze on ballistic missile tests. But the deal was broken after the North tested a missile in April. North Korea's leadership has been trying to hold direct talks with the United States, but officials in Washington say they are not ready to accept. China is also applying pressure on its neighbor arguing that the missile launch would violate the UN resolutions.

(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 26, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
This week, South Korean police rushed to contain groups of North Korean defectors and activists after Pyongyang threatened to attack them. The police were trying to stop the groups' plans to launch balloons carrying aid and propaganda into North Korea. They've done this several times in the past, but this is the first time that North Korea has threatened violence against them. Here's NHK with more.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: October 22, 2012

Reporter:
South Korean police cordoned off the road leading to Imjingak, a town near the demarcation line. They got into scuffles with the activists who protested against the move. Most of the activists are defectors from North Korea. They started chanting slogans against the north once it was clear they would have to give up on their leaflet campaign. Activists say they managed to release some of the balloons on Monday evening from an area not guarded by the police. The South Korean government's intervention in cases like this one is rare, but relations with the north have been more tense than usual. North Korean leaders have been making provocative moves ahead of South Korea's presidential election in December.

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Yul Kwon:
North Korea has often tried to influence presidential elections in South Korea. The most notorious incident occurred during South Korea's first democratic election in 1987. Two weeks before the election, two North Korean agents blew up a Korean Air passenger plane, killing all 115 people on board.