Insights from Hong Kong

Posts Tagged ‘Japan’

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No Sushi, Please – We’re Nationalists! China on Aniti-Japan Rampage

In China, Public Affairs on 20 August 2012 at 11:56 AM

Anti-Japan Protesters in China

This weekend protests were held in several cities across China. In each the focus of the anger was Japan, due to their arrest of Chinese protesters trying to plant flags on disputed islands in the East China Sea (See my earlier post: “You Say Senkaku, I say Diaoyu” – Hong Kong Enters Islands Dispute in China Sea). As thousands protested across China, activists from Japan raised their flags on the same disputed land.

Get ready for more trouble.

The weekend demonstrations occurred in several cities including Guangzhou, Jinan, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, Wenzhou, Harbin and Shenzhen. There was a gathering also in Hong Kong. Due to the security clamp-down in advance of the National People’s Committee of the Communist Party of China, Beijing was not the scene of any demonstration.

What’s important to note is that in each city police and city officials played a part in the protests. One organiser worked with city officials to plan the route and ensure it was an orderly march. In no city did police interrupt protests, except in Shenzhen where stores were looted and Japanese cars were overturned (including a police car).

Targeted in the actions were Japanese-owned and Japanese-looking shops. Sushi restaurants owned and operated by Mainland restauranteurs didn’t escape the attacks. Windows were smashed and interiors destroyed.

The tacit approval of government for protests against a neighbouring nation is a worrying sign. China has a greater role on the world stage in relation to its increased economic stature. Stoking nationalism against a neighbour in the face of deteriorating economic circumstances

The protests destroyed the livelihood of numerous businesses. Those attending feel hotter than before and more stoked against Japan. Meanwhile their citizens are acting out to claim sovereignty of these small islands.

Japan activists reach the disputed islands

Where will it lead? On Hainan Island military analysts confirm that China has built military hospitals capable of taking war wounded. It’s 1936 once more.

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“You Say Senkaku, I say Diaoyu” – Hong Kong Enters Islands Dispute in China Sea

In China, Public Affairs on 16 August 2012 at 1:41 PM

In the East China Sea off the coasts of Taiwan, China and Japan are a series of rocky outcroppings causing international diplomatic tension. These islands are known by one of three names, depending on your country of origin:

  • China calls them The Diaoyu Islands
  • Taiwan calls them The Tiaoyutai Islands
  • Japan calls them Senkaku Retto

What all the fuss is about

While most of these islands hold nothing more than bird guano, all three countries are vying for control of the rich mineral and oil deposits underneath. Also at stake are the shipping and defense rights associated with the expanded reach. The islands are uninhabited.

Yesterday activists from China, Macau and Hong Kong staged a visit to the disputed lands.  In Taiwan mass protests were also held to demonstrate that nation’s claim to the land. Another is being held now in Beijing.

Yesterday also marked the 67th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two. Two Ministers in Japan took the day to visit Yasukuni Shrine to Imperial Japan’s war dead, which is a bitterly despised site to China as many war criminals are interred there.

Activists left Hong Kong on Sunday, 12 August

The high seas drama unfolded within sight of the islands. Japanese Coast Guard vessels intercepted the activist-laden trawler. One image shows two Japanese vessels conducting a pincer movement, ramming the ship to a stop close to shore. Several took to open water and swam to shore. They wanted to raise the flags of China and Taiwan on the outcroppings.

Instead all 14 on board were arrested by Japanese officials and charged with immigration violations. If Japan were owners of the land then these people illegally entered Japan. Yet China doesn’t recognise Japan’s sovereignty over the islands. These were Chinese citizens on Chinese land.

The 8 activists, 4 crew members and 2 reporters have all been transferred to Okinawa. Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said they would be dealt with “strictly” according to Japanese law.

Beijing and Tokyo summoned each other’s ambassadors to lodge formal protests. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive CY Leung summoned the Japanese Consulate-General to demand the immediate release and fair treatment of Hong Kong’s citizens.

The use of a Hong Kong registered vessel allowed China to participate in the protest, without appearing to provide official backing. Sinophiles say a Chinese-registered vessel would have been seen as a serious escalation of the dispute.

Activists under arrest. Protesters on the street. Harsh language from the Prime Minister. Midnight visits of Ambassadors.

The Diaoyu Island dispute is front and centre in relations between Japan, China and Taiwan. And it will remain so long after these 14 activists are released.

 

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Islands in Dispute & China’s Military Rise: Who Will Get The Spratly Islands?

In China, Public Affairs on 11 June 2012 at 9:35 AM

Map of South China Sea and Spratly Islands

Some are no bigger than rocks. Others host landing strips. Most are deserted. But these tiny outcroppings of rock and sand are raising international tensions in the South China Sea.

The Spratly Islands are a grouping of small land bases that are alternatively claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia. It isn’t the land these countries want. Little is there. Ever since the bottom fell out of the bird guano fertiliser market, there’s almost nothing of economic value on the islands.

Under the islands it’s a different story.

Oil, gas and other natural resource deposits litter the base of the South China Sea. The area is rich in marine life for commercial fishing. Much of the region’s cargo passes through the area. Internet and telephone cables lay on the seabed. The economic value of the islands has nations making claims based on geography, history, politics and more.

And China wants them.

What alarms the regional neighbour nations is the rise of China’s naval powers. China’s defence spending has increased on average 12% per year as other nations seek to trim their military budgets. In April, The Economist featured a cover story on China’s Military Rise. Interestingly the islands that fence in China – from the Alaskan islands through Japan and the Philippines to Malaysia – create a barrier that China intends to blockade should hostilities with Taiwan point to US intervention.

These are not the only islands in dispute. To the north of Japan are the Senkaku Islands. These small rocky outcrops are hotly disputed by Japan and China. Again the value lies under the sea.

Today the dispute is played out on stages small and large. Fishing boats have been boarded. Embassies have had protests. Diplomats have intervened. Tour operators have canceled trips. The “tit for tat” retributions have soured relations between China and its neighbours for years.

There is no easy solution in sight. Some hawks say war is possible. The United States has announced 60% of its overseas military assets will be based in Asia-Pacific. China is acquiring its first aircraft carriers. Later this year the Philippines will send back to these islands an oil exploration unit. That will likely prompt a response from China.

In all likelihood the disputes will continue for years. Yet under the waters – far from the cries of diplomats –  the beauty of the area flourishes.

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Rice Art in Japan

In YouTube on 16 May 2012 at 9:15 AM

In spring farmers around the world plant crops. For most it is a straight-forward operation of tilling and seeding. Then they work the fields all summer long before harvest. In Japan, one town took an unusual approach to rice planting. Look at this series of fairly standard images – then watch what happens as the crop matures.

The images are so clear and precise, you’d be one of many to think they are hoaxes. Yet the pictures have been verified – and even Hoax Slayer confirms their authenticity. The practice of rice paddy art started in the town of Inakadate in  Aomori prefecture.

“For nearly 20 years, the town has prided itself as home to Japan’s finest rice crop art, which is created by carefully arranging different colors of rice plants in the field.” Pink Tentacle

Farmers creating the huge displays use no ink or dye. A closer inspection shows the images are created using different varieties of rice that grow in different colours. In the paddy, the careful placement of the thousands of rice plants in the paddy fields creates the image.  As summer progresses and the plants shoot up, the detailed artwork begins to emerge.

The farmers create the murals by planting little purple and yellow-leafed Kodaimai rice along with their local green-leafed Tsugaru, a Roman variety, to create the colored patterns in the time between planting and harvesting in September. From ground level, the designs are invisible. Viewers have to climb nearby towers erected by the village office to get a glimpse of the work.

Rice-paddy art was started in Inakadate in 1993 as a local revitalization project, an idea that grew from meetings of the village committees. The different varieties of rice plants grow alongside each other to create the masterpieces. In the first nine years, the village office workers and local farmers grew a simple design of Mount Iwaki every year. But their ideas grew more complicated and attracted more attention.

Today plans acre created by computer and each “pixel” of coloured rice is precisely planned. The plants are then carefully placed to create stunning murals that reflect the best of old and new. Modern day Thomas the Tank in a field next to an ancient warrior. Coverage of these artworks has been extensive and widespread - The Guardian in the UK featured an overview of how they are planted.

The murals in Inakadate cover 15,000 square meters of paddy fields. Today there are more murals in other prefectures. The images created are truly amazing.

The last image is of fictional warrior Naoe Kanetsugu and his wife, Osen, whose lives are featured on the television series ‘Tenchijin.’ They appear in fields in the town of Yonezawa in the Yamagata prefecture of Japan.

Visiting the area is best in the summer months of June or July – when the images are at their peak. Until then watch to see the images appear in this time-lapse video.

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#3Shots Highlights: How Social Media is Challenging Government Communications in Japan, China

In China, Public Affairs, Social Media on 24 April 2012 at 1:20 PM

Social Media is challenging the traditional forms of government communications, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Japan and China. In the aftermath of the 3/11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident in Japan the government started communicating in English across platforms like Twitter. Social media was needed to ensure audiences worldwide were abreast of the latest safety information. One year on it’s still vital as Japan seeks to re-build and return to normalcy.

In China the high-profile collapse of Bo Xilai has led to unprecedented censorship moves to try to staunch rumours of political unrest and a possible coup. Yet despite the best efforts of censors more than one million updates have been posted from China on sites like Sina Weibo and Twitter. There are creative ways around the blockades.

These were the two examples used to portray the fast-evolving nature of social media in government communications. Last night 30+ communications, business and social media leaders gathered at Azure Restaurant on the top of LKF Hotel in Central, Hong Kong. They contributed to the discussion led by Jonathan Kushner and Walter Jennings, both of Kreab Gavin Anderson – the sponsor for the night’s event.

In China, the challenges are only going to become more complex. Mobile internet is spreading rapidly and the major telecommunications carriers are investing US$11 billion in China over the next three years. Expected uptake of 4G technology means faster uploads of richer content – like photos and videos – that aren’t as easy to “word search” and censor. What does this mean for the “Great Firewall of China”? And if there is free-flowing information what does that mean politically in the long-term?

These were a few of the issues addressed by the gathering. For more information and to sign up for notices on our next event, please visit Meet Up: http://www.meetup.com/3Shots/

You can follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #3Shots.

For a copy of the presentation from last night, click here: #3Shots of Social Media – Challenges for Japan, China – Social Media – KGA

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