China Seminar | 9 December 2010

Sino-Japanese Relations: In the aftermath of the recent Diao Yu Tai/Senkaku Island Incident

Sino-Japanese Relations is a very timely topic given the recent flare-up of tensions and nationalism over Diao Yu Tai. Japan has significantly benefitted from the Chinese market in recent years, yet at the same time, become increasingly alarmed by China’s growing military budget as Japan’s contracts. Japan is also concerned about Chinese space exploration, cyber warfare, and espionage. Attitudes of the Japanese and Chinese toward each other are dismal. However, if China is to one day be the undisputed leader of Asia, it must persuade Japan to distance itself from America, Japan’s number one ally. Mr. Sharp will focus his talk on the competing claims to Diao Yu Tai/Senkaku Island, rising nationalism in both nations, comparative attitudes, economic relations, and regional geopolitics.

Mr. Sharp’s association with Asia started in 1968 while serving with US Army military intelligence in Vietnam. He received an A.B. in Political Science (focused on Chinese and Japanese politics) from UC, Berkeley, a M.A. in Asian Studies from UH-Manoa, and an Ed.M. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. While at UH, he received the James Shigeta Award for Excellence in Asian Studies and the Lee-Shao Chang Award for Excellence in Chinese Studies. He studied Mandarin Chinese in both Taiwan and Beijing, taught English and was a free-lance writer in Japan in 1980s, and later was Executive Director of Japan-America Society of Hawaii. He currently teaches East Asian politics at HPU and hosts, Asia in Review, a weekly TV show dedicated to contemporary Asian affairs. In recent years, he wrote “Look East,” a column for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. In pursuit of his interests, he travels often to Asia.