Dear Colleagues:

You are welcome to participate in this zoom seminar.

Best,
Yone Sugita
sugita@lang.osaka-u.ac.jp
******************************

Asia-Pacific Studies Seminar (20 March 2021)
Prof. Midford's paper for this seminar is available only for seminar participants. If you wish to participate in this seminar, please send a note to:
sugita@lang.osaka-u.ac.jp I will send you Prof. Midford's paper and Zoom information.

Special seminar by Professor Paul Midford (Professor, Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/paul.midford

Discussant: Victor Teo (Assistant Professor, University of Hong Kong)
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9435-0738

Date: 20 March 2021

Time:17:00 -21:00

Mode: Zoom
17:00 - 18:00: How to write dissertation, How to turn dissertation into
academic book, How to conduct research, How to write academic papers /
books, & How to use archives

18:00 - 21:00: Seminar and discussion

Title:
Japan's Approach to Maritime Conflicts with China in the East China Sea
and Prospects for Renewed Conflict Management and Resolution

Abstract:
The past quarter of a century has witnessed a gradually growing
obsession over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in both China and Japan. Yet,
2010-2012 proved to be pivotal in dramatically raising the salience of
this conflict for both countries. The bilateral obsession since then is
a significant change, if not an aberration, given that since the
normalization of Sino-Japanese relations in 1972, and up until 2010,
both sides took steps to avoid having this territorial conflict harm the
larger bilateral relationship. The recent heightened obsession regarding
these islands appears to be fueled by growing nationalism on both sides
that powers a spiral of growing tension and in turn further fuels this
nationalism. This has arguably become the most dangerous territorial
dispute in East Asia and the most likely regional trigger of a great
power military confrontation outside of the Korean peninsula. After
demonstrating how the tacit bilateral conflict management mechanism in
place between China and Japan largely collapsed by 2010-2012, this paper
examines Japan´s approach to the Diaoyu/Senkaku dispute, including its
nascent military buildup in response to the ongoing Senkakus
confrontation, and related, but less salient, conflicts over the
Sino-Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) border in the East China Sea.
Finally, it considers and assesses several approaches to renewed
conflict management and eventual conflict resolution.