Special Event “Japan’s Borders: Crossroads or Crisis” DVD screening and discussion held on October 10th
2011/10/12
On the 10th of October, at the Hokkaido University Museum’s first floor ’Knowledge Exchange’ corner, a “Japan’s Borders: Crossroads or Crisis” DVD screening and discussion event was held. This special event co-hosted by Japan’s Network of Border Studies brought all those who contributed to “Japan’s Borders: How to break the ‘Spell’” (Hokkaido University Publishing) together, to mark the anniversary of receiving the 2010 Book In Tottori Cultural Achievement Award.
The first half of the event saw screenings of the ‘Tsushima’ and ‘Yaeyama and Taiwan’ DVDs produced by the Global COE program, while the second, under the direction of the Global COE project leader, Professor IWASHITA Akihiro, saw the attendees chew over last year’s Japanese border issues. The discussion focused particularly on two points: border disputes with neighboring countries over outlying islands, and the government’s policy towards these islands. On the first point, as well as the San Francisco Peace Treaty, the importance of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) recognized in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was particularly emphasized by Professor YAMADA. On the second, it was pointed out by Professors NAGASHIMA and YAMAGAMI that those islands on the outer frontier had been left out of Japan’s postwar economic reconstruction. All the participants emphasized that in order to preserve an EEZ based on the islands, as well as maintain its borders, the importance of the state’s promotion of residency and economic activity was impossible to ignore.
Despite the foul weather, an audience of around 50 was in attendance, granting the general public and opportunity to become acquainted with the issues surrounding Japan’s maritime borders.
The first half of the event saw screenings of the ‘Tsushima’ and ‘Yaeyama and Taiwan’ DVDs produced by the Global COE program, while the second, under the direction of the Global COE project leader, Professor IWASHITA Akihiro, saw the attendees chew over last year’s Japanese border issues. The discussion focused particularly on two points: border disputes with neighboring countries over outlying islands, and the government’s policy towards these islands. On the first point, as well as the San Francisco Peace Treaty, the importance of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) recognized in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was particularly emphasized by Professor YAMADA. On the second, it was pointed out by Professors NAGASHIMA and YAMAGAMI that those islands on the outer frontier had been left out of Japan’s postwar economic reconstruction. All the participants emphasized that in order to preserve an EEZ based on the islands, as well as maintain its borders, the importance of the state’s promotion of residency and economic activity was impossible to ignore.
Despite the foul weather, an audience of around 50 was in attendance, granting the general public and opportunity to become acquainted with the issues surrounding Japan’s maritime borders.
