PRESS CONFERENCE
Bonji Ohara, Senior Fellow, International Peace and Security Department, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation
15:00-16:00 Friday, December 17, 2021
(The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation)
The Way Forward For Japan-China Relations
Ties between Japan and China stand at a crossroads as the two Asian superpowers are on the cusp of the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations in 2022. Next year will be a pivotal year that also coincides with the Chinese Communist Party's 20th National Party Congress, while Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has promised a sweeping review to the National Security Strategy amid simmering geopolitical tensions.
At the same time, all eyes are on whether Japan will join its Western partners in a ministerial boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games over allegations of Chinese human rights violations. More crucially, there is also the question of whether Japan will intervene militarily alongside the United States, its security ally, if China were to take Taiwan by force, as former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suggested last week.
Bonji Ohara, a senior research fellow focusing on international peace and security at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation think-tank, will visit the FCCJ to analyze these issues and discuss the way forward for Japan's defense and foreign policies. He has broad experience working in defense before giving up his military stripes. He was based in China from 2003 to 2006 as a Naval Attaché, and served as chief of intelligence at the Maritime Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense in 2006. He was also Commanding Officer of the 21st flight squadron in 2009. Ohara's research expertise lies in modern Chinese politics, the Japan-US security alliance, and Japan's security policy.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/kUf7btFJeHHDERaq9
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event.
Professional Activities Committee