Were you to ask me what I thought about the relationship between countries in East Asia prior to the first lecture of the seminar, I would have said "tense." Japan, in particular, seems to have instigated hostilities in the last five years with the Prime Minister making repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, a shrine that honors those who died in wars. Problem is, a large number of war criminals are part of the group of those soldiers honored at Yasukuni. For every visit that the P.M. makes, China and Korea issue statements of disapproval and diplomatic relations sour.
The P.M.'s official response was that he was visiting as a citizen, rather than in the capacity of his office.
Another issue Japan faces is their aging population. When I asked a group of businessmen in my English class what issues might emerge from this national dilemma, they quickly responded, "Invasion... from China." The idea of a future immigration policy that has looser guidelines (specifically for specialized tech jobs) is also a tough issue for the Japanese to confront, as there is a great pride in the homogeneity of the country.
I learned a lot about China and Korea during this lecture, particularly about the Chinese economy and its growth historically. Great information to bring back to students as a way to compare geography and economic development between Japan and its neighbors.
