Asia Policy Events, Monday March 3, 2025

TRANSATLANTIC CHALLENGES FOR THE NEXT GERMAN GOVERNMENT. 3/3, 10:00-11:30am (EST), IN PERSON ONLY. Sponsor: American-German Institute. Speakers: Thurid Hurstedt, Dean of Graduate Programmes, Professor of Public Administration and Management, Hertie School; Eric Langenbacher, Senior Fellow, Director, Society, Culture & Politics Program, AGI; Andrea Römmele, Dean of Executive Education, Professor, Communication in Politics and Civil Society, Hertie School.

RESHAPING THE MIDDLE EAST: A CONVERSATION WITH AMJAD TAHA. 3/3, Noon-1:30 pm, HYBRID. Sponsor: Hudson Institute. Speaker: Amjad Taha, a UAE-based political strategist and analyst.

89 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT: IS TIME RUNNING OUT ON NUCLEAR ARMS CONTROL? 3/3, 4:00-5:30pm (PST),  7:00pm (EST), HYBRID. Sponsors: Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University. Speakers: Jerry Brown, former Governor of California; Alexandra Bell, President and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist.; Herb Lin, Senior research scholar for cyber policy and security, Center for International Security and Cooperation; Rose Gottemoeller, William J. Perry Lecturer, Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University. 

N.B.: As Trump cuts to the Federal Government's intellectual infrastructure sink in, expect to see a lot fewer events and policy papers at think tanks. Very few are aligned with Trump and all have had their funding for projects and studies ended--even mid stream. 

Monday Asia Events, September 27, 2021

TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION: SHAPING THE FUTURE TOGETHER IN UNCERTAIN TIMES. 9/27, 8:30-9:30am (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. Speakers: Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People, European Commission, Trade Commissioner, EU; Moderator: Dan Hamilton, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute, SAIS. 

LEADING OIL AND GAS INTO A NET-ZERO WORLD. 9/27, 8:30am (EDT), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Atlantic Council. Speakers: H.E. Mohammad Barikindo, Secretary General, OPEC; Helima Croft, Managing Director, Global Head of Commodity Strategy, RBC Capital Markets; Majid Jafar, CEO, Crescent Petroleum; Moderator: Alex Dewar, Senior Director, Center for Energy Impact, Boston Consulting Group. 

INTERPRETING THE 2021 GERMAN FEDERAL ELECTION RESULTS. 9/27, 9:00-10:30am (EDT), ONLINE. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Isabelle Borucki, Interim Professor - University of Siegen; Yascha Mounk, Associate Professor of the Practice - SAIS, Johns Hopkins, Senior Fellow - Council on Foreign Relations; Daniela Schwarzer, Executive Director for Europe and Eurasia - Open Society Foundations; Constanze Stelzenmüller, Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and trans-Atlantic Relations; Rieke Havertz, US Correspondent - ZEIT ONLINE. 

WILL THE REVAMPED US TRADE POLICY BE READY FOR GLOBAL CHALLENGES? 9/27, 10:00-11:00am (EDT), ZOOM WEBINAR. Sponsor: Global Development Policy Center, Boston University. Speakers: Richard Kozul-Wright, Director, Globalization and Development Strategies, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter, Ambassador, South Africa Mission to the WTO; Damon Silvers, Director of Policy and Special Counsel, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO); Todd Tucker, Director, Governance Studies, Roosevelt Institute; Moderator: Kevin P. Gallagher, Director, Global Development Policy Center, Boston University. 

ENERGY MARKETS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. 9/27, 10:00-11:00am (EDT), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Middle East Institute (MEI). Michael Cohen, Chief U.S. Economist, Head of Oil Analysis, BP; Carole Nackhle, Founder and CEO, Crystol Energy; Moderator: Karen E. Young, Senior Fellow and Director, Program on Economics and Energy, MEI. 

STATE OF THE SPACE FORCE! 9/27. 10:00am-12:30pm (EDT), DIGITAL EVENT. Sponsor: DefenseOne. Speakers include: General John W. Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force; Paul Ferraro, Vice President, Air Power, Raytheon Missiles & Defense; Jeffrey Schrader, Vice President, Raytheon Intelligence and Space; Steve Butow, Director of the Space Portfolio, Defense Innovation Unit; Jim Westdorp, Chief Technologist, Ciena Government Solutions Inc.; Dr. Derek Tourner, Director, Space Development Agency. 

TAIWAN IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION 2021 ANNUAL CONFERENCE. 9/27, 11:30am-1:00pm and 6:00-6:40pm (PDT), LIVESTREAM. Speakers: Richard Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations; Lee Hsi-min, Adm. (Ret.), Senior Fellow, Project 2049 Institute; Dr. Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). 

PAKISTAN’S DESTABILIZATION PLAYBOOK: KHALISTAN AND THE U.S. 9/27, Noon-1:00pm (EDT), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia, Hudson Institute. Speakers: Dr. C. Christine Fair, Professor, Security Studies Program, Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service; Michael Rubin, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Sam Westrop, Director, Islamist Watch, Middle East Forum. Moderator: Dr. Aparna Pande, Director, Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia, Hudson Institute. 

JAPAN’S DEFENSE EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE U.S.-JAPAN ALLIANCE. 9/27, 5:00-6:00pm (EDT), WEBCAST. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Atsuo Suzuki, Commissioner, Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency, Ministry of Defense of Japan; Moderator: Dr. Michael J. Green, Senior Vice President for Asia, Japan Chair, CSIS.

POLITICAL EXTREMISM IN JAPAN. 9/27, 9:00-10:00pm (EDT), WEBINAR. Sponsors: Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS). Speaker: Nathaniel M. Smith, Associate Professor, College of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. Moderator: Michael Okamoto, Director, Getting to Know Japan Series, YCAPS. 

CHINA'S PERCEPTION OF THE SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN. 9/27, 11:00am-Noon (JDT), WEBINAR. Sponsor: Sasakawa Peace Foundation. Speakers: Ichiro Inoue, Professor, Graduate School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University; Akio Takahara, Professor of Contemporary Chinese Politics, Graduate School of Law and Politics and Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo; Bonji Ohara, Senior Fellow, Sasakawa Peace Foundation. 

Glimmers Of Hope For Japan-Korea Relations

by Daniel Sneider, Lecturer, International Policy at Stanford University and APP Member
Toyokeizai Online, January 2, 2020

This past year marked the lowest point in relations between Japan and its neighbor, South Korea, since the two countries established diplomatic relations more than a half century ago. As the new year dawns, however, there are glimmers of hope that the tide is slowly turning.

The meeting in China between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in China at least demonstrated that channels for dialogue remain open. Before that, trade officials met in Tokyo to discuss the export control measures imposed by both sides, followed by a small step from Japan to ease restrictions on key exports to Korea related to semiconductor manufacture.

And with the threat of a court order to seize the assets of Japanese companies looming, Korean legislators are discussing a compensation plan for former forced laborers that might offer a way out of that difficult issue of wartime justice.

This is a fragile process that could break down in the blink of an eye, but informed actors in both Korea and Japan see reasons for guarded optimism.

“Our bilateral relations now cannot get worse and there is a growing consensus among our people that Korea cannot afford to let its relations with Japan break down completely,” former South Korean Foreign Minister and Ambassador to Tokyo, Yu Myung Hwan, told me. “I think we have passed the lowest point,” says Yu, who has been a key figure in Japan-Korea relations.

Still, Yu warns, “one time-bomb is left – when, and how, the seized assets of Japanese companies might be cashed in.” For now, Korean courts have only taken preliminary steps to sell those assets, but if they actually move to do so, “Abe will have to respond likewise and that will surely provoke another downward spiral in relations,” he predicts.

The lawyers for the Korean laborers who brought the suit claiming compensation remain in a dialogue with the Moon administration, delaying the next steps. But this will not last forever – “I am not fully optimistic at this point,” Yu told me.

A veteran Japanese journalist specializing in foreign affairs takes a somewhat less upbeat view of where things may be headed. “I hope this bilateral relationship has hit the bottom, but I don’t find a solid reason to say so,” the senior editor told me. “I am one of the guys who predict that this cold war between Abe and Moon is likely to go on in a mild way next year.”

The political dimension
For now, there is a cease-fire in this crisis. But neither Moon nor Abe are highly motivated to find an early solution.

The impact on Japan from the economic boycott in South Korea, most visible in the dramatic drop in Korean tourists coming to Japan, is still minor. Combined with pressure from the U.S. to ease tensions, “Abe has some incentive to move,” says Tokyo University Professor and foreign policy expert Ryo Sahashi. But there is very little potential political upside in improving relations for the Japanese leader, especially among conservative voters and lawmakers.

“Diplomacy with South Korea only costs him political capital,” Sahashi told me, “he doesn’t gain anything from it.” Still, Abe seems unlikely to take further steps to provoke a Korean reaction, as happened with the export controls imposed last summer.

Moon, for his part, faces crucial elections to the South Korean National Assembly in April. The possible return to serious tensions in relations with North Korea potentially undermines support for the ruling progressive party which has put North-South Korea engagement at the top of its agenda. A possibly unpopular move to reach a compromise with Japan on the forced laborer issue might be too much of a risk for Moon. But a worsening of relations would also not help Moon, observers believe.

“The upcoming parliament election in April 2020 will be an Armageddon for the government party since it will be a sort of midterm evaluation of the incumbent Moon administration,” observes Yu, a veteran diplomat. “And the worsening of the relationship with Japan would not help before the election unless Japan provokes further in a nasty way. But I think Abe wouldn't do that again. I believe that after the general election next year the Korean government will be more flexible in dealing with Japan.”

Until then, however, Moon continues to be very cautious. He has not embraced the effort to find a compromise solution to the forced laborers problem led by South Korean National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang. Speaker Moon introduced legislation to establish a foundation formed by voluntary contributions from both Korea and Japanese companies, and individuals, to compensate the former laborers.

The proposed fund is modeled on the German Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation, formed in 2000, which paid compensation to all those forced to work in German mines and factories during the war. It was funded by both the German government and by the German firms who used that labor, just as Japanese companies did during the war.

The model is cited by many experts, but the decision of the Moon government to dismantle a similar fund created to compensate the so-called Comfort Women in the 2015 agreement between Japan and South Korea undermines the viability of this proposal.

The new proposal does not yet have the support of those who filed suit in Korean courts, and their lawyers. The Abe administration has also been cautious toward this proposal, even though it does not demand either official Japanese funds or a formal apology to the victims.

“Speaker Moon's idea is not perfect,” notes Tokyo University’s Sahashi. “It would be better if the fund was divided equally between South Korean companies, the South Korean government and Japanese companies. But even this solution would face domestic criticism in both countries. Still, I can’t imagine any other option.”

South Korea’s former foreign minister Yu, who played a key role in setting up the Comfort Women foundation, agrees with this assessment. “Speaker Moon's proposal is not a bad idea at all if it can be passed as a bill in the parliament and Japan is willing to participate in ‘donating’ money to the Fund,” he says.

But Yu worries that the Assembly leader does not yet have sufficient support in the legislature to pass the bill and may have higher priorities, such as passage of an election law and a reform of the prosecution system. “I wonder whether he can spare some of his political assets to push through his idea to resolve the ‘war-time forced labor issue’ once and for all,” he told me.

Behind this lurks the status of the 1965 treaty which normalized diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea and dealt with the problem of compensation for forced laborers and others through a large transfer of Japanese grants and loans. Those funds were used to finance the industrialization of South Korea, though limited individual compensation was also paid out.

The progressives in South Korea have long challenged the legitimacy of this treaty, arguing it was forced on Korea by the United States and was the creation of a ‘pro-Japanese’ regime led by military leader Park Chung-hee.

The Japanese government continues to insist this issue was settled by the treaty and proposed to deal with the current crisis through a third-party arbitration process set out in that treaty. The Moon government has so far sidestepped whether they still feel bound by the 1965 treaty, carefully avoiding triggering the question of renegotiating the entire treaty.

Even Korean scholars who have been critical of Japan question this ambiguous position taken by the Blue House. The Korean government should clearly communicate through official channels that it will respect the treaty, Professor Chung Jae-jeong, the former head of the Northeast Asia History Foundation, said in a recent interview. “This will facilitate negotiations on how to resolve the current disputes,” Professor Chung said. “I think we as a country have passed a stage where we approach state-to-state conflicts emotionally. They should be handled with professional judgment and knowledge.”

The geopolitics of the Japan-South Korea dispute
The prospects for improvement in Japan-South Korea relations will undoubtedly be affected by the broader geostrategic environment in Northeast Asia. If tensions rise again with North Korea, that may drive Japan and South Korea closer together, though it will not in itself overcome the underlying historical issues.

American policy makers have persistently urged the two countries, both allied to the U.S., to focus on their shared security interests. And that pressure at least yielded some results in the Korean decision to back off from abandoning the defense intelligence sharing agreement. But the forces of nationalism in both countries tend to overwhelm those appeals to joint security interests.

The withdrawal of the U.S. from its traditional leading role as the guarantor of security in Northeast Asia has left Japan and South Korea increasingly on their own in managing out these long-standing tensions. And it has left open the door for China to assert its leadership role, as took place at the trilateral summit in Chengdu. President Moon, speaking at the summit, evoked the “common destiny” binding the three countries together.

“This is a new trial for both countries to explore their own capability to sustain and develop the East Asia order which has long kept the stable environment since the end of World War Two,” comments the senior Japanese foreign affairs journalist.

“In that sense, the trilateral dialogue framework of Sino-ROK-Japan should have more and more implication for the future to come. I have no doubt Japan’s bond with the US will stay firm and solid regardless of whatever chemistry will emerge in the Sino-Korean-Japan relationship. But when it comes to South Korea’s position, frankly, I am much less certain.”

Resolution of the Association of German Historians on Current Threats to Democracy

Where are Japan's historians?

Resolution of the Association of German Historians (VHD, Verband der Historiker und Historikerinnen Deutschlands) on Current Threats to Democracy

passed at the association members’ meeting in Münster, 27 September 2018

In Germany as in numerous other countries, excessive attacks on democratic institutions are currently threatening the foundations of the political order. As historians, we feel it is our duty to warn against these threats. Dispute is essential in a pluralistic society, but it must follow certain rules if it is not going to undermine democracy itself.

Historiography as a scholarly discipline has the task of analyzing historical developments in order to contribute to a better understanding of contemporary issues and to explore the complexity of their causes. Given that politics seems to be increasingly driven by the volatility of public opinion polls and ever faster-paced media dynamics, we would like to stress that only thinking in longer-range time periods can guarantee the future of our political system in the long run.

We therefore consider the following basic attitudes for democratic interaction in politics and society essential:

For historically sensitive speech, against discriminatory terms
Political discussion in a democracy involves pointed language that clearly expresses one’s own position but does not deny other people fundamental respect. Today’s derogatory descriptions of politicians as “enemies of the people” or the media as producers of “fake news” employ the same kind of anti-democratic language that was used in the interwar period. We also have many historical examples of the dangerous effects of using disparaging terms to exclude perceived “others” on the basis of their religion, their ethnic background, their gender or their sexual orientation.
For parliamentary democracy and a pluralistic culture of debate, against populism
In pluralistic democracies, public policy is the result of open debates in which a variety of political opinions and social interests are expressed. A unified will of the people that can be discerned by those regarding themselves as “called” is, in contrast, a fiction, used by people in political debates primarily for the purpose of making themselves invulnerable. In the Weimar Republic, the idea of “the people’s will” smoothed the way to power for a movement whose “Führer” saw himself as the incarnation of that will.

For unified European action, against nationalist unilateralism
Given the many violently waged intra-European conflicts of the past, European unification based on a commitment to pluralistic democracy and inalienable human rights is one of the most significant accomplishments of the 20th century. While the legitimacy of individual national interests is undisputed, unilateral nationalist actions threaten this historical achievement. Exclusively national problem-solving strategies cannot meet the political, humanitarian, ecological and economic challenges of the globalized present. Also, in light of colonial violence committed by Europeans in other parts of the world, it is crucial to acknowledge our shared responsibility for the consequences of our policies in regions outside of Europe.

For humanity and the rule of law, against the slander of migrants
Migration is a historical constant. Despite all the problems it entails, on the whole it has benefited societies – including Germany’s. It is therefore important to work toward proactive, pragmatic policies concerning migration and integration that respect both human and international rights. It is essential that the constitutionally guaranteed right to political asylum and the duty to provide help in humanitarian crisis situations be applied in a way that falls to Germany not only because of its economic power but also for historical reasons.

For critical engagement with the past, against the political misuse of history
The Federal Republic of Germany today is a stable democracy. One of the reasons why is that the German people, after considerable resistance at first, now for the most part deal with the history of National Socialism in a self-critical and reflective way. Our own discipline, too, was slow to embrace this process. In any case, a responsible approach to the past has as its prerequisite the findings of historiography, a field that must also be willing to be self-critical and that in principle is independent of political influence. Its information is based on research into historical sources and is open to critical discussion. Only in this way will it be possible to remain mindful of the historical bases of our democracy and defend them against “alternative facts.”

Remembering Wartime Slave Labor

Nazi slavery recalled at UNESCO-listed Völklinger Ironworks

Deutsche Welle
October 31, 2018

Grenades, aircraft parts and military equipment created in one of Nazi Germany’s largest steel and ironworks were the product of forced laborers. An installation by French artist Christian Boltanski remembers them. Voices whisper their names from all corners of the vast former iron foundry: women, men and children from 20 countries who were transported from across Nazi-occupied Europe and forced to work under inhumane conditions — and ultimately die — at the Völklinger Ironworks.

The French artist Christian Boltanski, in his installations "Forced Laborers" and "Memories," which are on display from November 1 at the site, reminds us of the 12,396 people taken from countries from Albania to Belgium, Bulgaria to France, from Denmark, Serbia, the Ukraine and nearly everywhere in between, to work as slaves as part of the Nazi arms build-up.

The installation employs the actual spoken recollections of former ironworkers, which are emitted from the numbered lockers that form the focal point for the work. Here long-suppressed memories come to life.

Christian Boltanski

➽  CLICK HERE FOR A PDF OF THE EXHIBITION CATALOG. It lists all the names of the forced laborers. This is the English version.

Worked to death

Set in the 19th century German industrial landmark, the installation also features a pile of anonymous black trousers and jackets on the floor surrounded by stacked archive boxes. The light is sparse. Here the visitor understands why, during World War II, forced laborers who were transported to Völklingen near the French border were deprived of their ID cards and made to wear a special badge. A circular forbid staff in the plant from being friendly with the prisoners: "The enemy remains the enemy," it read.

Hermann Röchling was then the head of the iron foundry and a fervent admirer of Adolf Hitler. He was a member of the senior staff of the Nazi department for the "war economy," and thus responsible for the entire armaments industry and the widespread use of imported slave labor. The deaths of 261 forced laborers, including 60 children and infants, occurred under his watch. Some of them did not see their first birthday.

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Read more: South Korea court orders Japan's Nippon Steel to compensate forced laborers

      NB: A number of the Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Steel sites in Japan have become, like the Völklinger Ironworks, UNESCO World Industrial Heritage Sites. These sites used Korean forced labor as well as Chinese (there was a policy of abduction toward the end of the war) slave labor and Allied and American POW slave labor. There is NO acknowledgment of this. 

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Boltanski, a conceptual artist, painter, sculptor and filmmaker who is a regular at the Documenta art exhibition in Kassel and in 2011 designed the French pavilion of the 54th Biennale in Venice, creates an emotive outlet to understand this dark chapter in the history of the steel plant.

A history of slavery

The Völklinger Ironworks was once the largest manufacturer of iron girders in Germany following its foundation in 1873. It was already producing war equipment during World War I, including 90 percent of the crude steel used to build German army helmets. Forced laborers from Belgium and Italy — in addition to prisoners-of-war from France and Russia — were also employed in the steel factory at the time. Around 10 percent of these slave workers died on site; these victims are also remembered in Boltanski's installation.

"Industrial culture in all European countries was no innocent culture," said general manager and managing director of the Völklinger Hütte, Meinrad Maria Grewenig, at the opening of the installation.

The postwar period was less controversial, with the ironworks booming in the 1960s and employing some 17,000 people before a worldwide steel crisis hit the in the mid-1970s. By 1986, the chimneys in Völklingen had stopped smoking.

In 1994, UNESCO declared the Völklinger Ironworks a World Heritage Site, the first industrial monument to be placed on the prestigious list. But while the site is the only surviving factory from the heyday of iron and steel production in 19th century Germany, the Völklinger Ironworks has a more sinister heritage upon which Christian Boltanski is again shining light.

The Christian Boltanski installation will be on display at the Völklinger Ironworks from November 1 through August 31, 2019.

Recognizing Japanese War Crimes Prior to 1945

click to order

Documenting German and Japanese War Crimes prior to 1945: The UN War Crimes Commission

Tuesday, September 12, 2017
9:30 AM — 11:15 AM
Light breakfast

Book presentation with Dr. Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS, University of London and author of Human Rights After Hitler: The Lost History of Prosecuting Axis War Crimes. (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2017. 272 pages)

Cooperative program between Asia Policy Point and the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS)

Location 

American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS)

 R. G. Livingston Conference Room
1755 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC,  20036 United States

REGISTER HERE

Dr Dan Plesch will present his analysis of thousands of newly available indictments of Germans and Japanese many made during the Second World War and supported by the Allies. His presentation will draw on his book “Human Rights After Hitler: The Lost History of Prosecuting Axis War Crimes.” The book is based on the archive of the 1943-1948, 17-nation UN War Crimes Commission. Among the findings are indictments of Nazis for the death camps in 1944, while they were still operating and that these were considered and endorsed by representatives of China and still-Imperial India along with the Western Allies. His research demonstrates: that sexual violence in warfare was recognized during WWII as a war crime; that there was a working definition of a “crime against humanity” during WWII, not after; and that Asian states and Asians were involved in establishing this definition and in identifying war crimes prior to the end of the war. Most interesting, both the German and Japanese governments were aware of the work of the UNWCC and the terms of the indictments.

Dr Plesch directs the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS, University of London and his previous books include “America Hitler and the UN” and the “Beauty Queen's Guide to World Peace.” Dr Plesch read history at Nottingham and obtained professional qualifications in social work and public administration from Bristol in 1979 and 1980, he then worked for non-governmental organizations focused on the abolition of nuclear weapons. In 1986, he founded the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) and directed it from Washington, DC until 2001, when he became the Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London. https://www.soas.ac.uk/staff/staff31644.php

His book will be available at the program or through this LINK

Monday in Washington, December 12, 2016

CHINA'S 15TH WTO ANNIVERSARY:ASSESSING THE RECORD AND CHARTING THE PATH FORWARD. 12/12, 9:00am-Noon. Sponsor: Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS. Speakers: Charlene Barshefsky, Senior International Partner, WilmerHale; and Former U.S. Trade Representative; Rufus Yerxa, President, National Foreign Trade Council; Claire Reade, Senior Counsel, Arnold & Porter; and Senior Associate, CSIS; Yang Guohua, Professor of Law, Tsinghua University; Matthew Yeo, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson; Chad P. Bown, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Yi Xiaozhun, Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization; Scott Kennedy, Deputy Director, Freeman Chair in China Studies; and Director, Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy, CSIS; Wendy Cutler, Vice President and Managing Director, Washington Office, Asia Society Policy Institute.

U.S. SECURITY ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS. 12/12, 10:00-11:30am. Sponsor: Brookings, Project on International Order and Strategy. Speakers: Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski; Brookings Senior Fellows Daniel Byman and Ted Piccone.

U.S.-KOREA RELATIONS IN THE ERA OF TRUMP. 12/12, Noon-1:30pm. Sponsor: Korea Economic Institute (KEI). Speakers: David Pong, Hanmi Club Chairman, Former National Assembly Member; George Allen, Former U.S. Senator & Governor; Kang In-sun, Washington Bureau Chief, Chosun Ilbo; Lee Sang-seok, Vice Chairman, Hankook Ilbo & Korea Times; Donald Manzullo, President, CEO, KEI; Mark Tokola, Vice President, KEI.

FROM NORTH KOREAN PRISONER TO FREEDOM FIGHTER: A CONVERSATION WITH KANG CHEOL-HWAN. 12/12, Noon–1:30pm. Sponsor: The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Speaker: Kang Cheol-Hwan, a North Korean defector and a former prisoner of North Korea’s prison camps.

THE NEW SECTARIANISM: THE ARAB SPRING AND THE REBIRTH OF THE SHI’A-SUNNI DIVIDE. 12/12, Noon-1:30pm. Sponsor: Atlantic Council. Speakers: Geneive Abdo, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, Atlantic Council; Joyce Karam, Washington Bureau Chief, Al-Hayat.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE ARCTIC WILL NOT STAY IN THE ARCTIC: U.S. ARCTIC IMPERATIVES. 12/12, 12:15-1:45pm. Sponsor: Center for Canadian Studies and the International Relations Program, SAIS, Johns Hopkins. Speakers: Ambassador Mark F. Brzezinski, Executive Director of the U.S. Government's Arctic Executive Steering Committee (AESC); Charles F. Doran, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of International Relations.

U.S. POLICY TOWARD NORTH KOREA: THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND SECURITY LINKAGE. 12/12, 1:30-3:00pm. Sponsor: Brookings. Speakers: Amb. Robert King, Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, US Department of State; Jonathan D. Pollack, Interim SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, John L. Thornton China Center; Moderator: Richard C. Bush, Michael H. Armacost Chair, Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies, Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, John L. Thornton China Center.

THE NEW MYANMAR: AN ADDRESS BY AMB AUNG LYNN. 12/12, 1:30-3:30PM. Sponsor: George Washington University, Elliott School. Speaker: Amb. Aung Lynn of Myanmar.

UPDATE FROM THE MARRAKECH CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT. 12/12, 2:00-3:00pm. Sponsor: Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). Speaker: Christo Artusio, Director, Office of Global Change, U.S. Department of State.

CLICK TO ORDER

PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP IN THE FIRST YEAR. 12/12, 3:00-6:00pm. Sponsors: Governance Studies at Brookings and the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. Speakers: Martin S. Indyk, Executive Vice President, Brookings Institution; William J. Antholis, Director and CEO - Miller Center; Barbara A. Perry, Director of Presidential Studies and Co-Chair of the Presidential Oral History Program - Miller Center, Project Director of the Edward M. Kennedy Oral History Project - Miller Center, White Burkett Miller Center Professor of Ethics and Institutions - Miller Center; Chris Lu, Deputy Secretary - Department of Labor; Josh Bolten, Managing Director - Rock Creek Global Advisors; Elaine Kamarck, Founding Director - Center for Effective Public Management, Senior Fellow - Governance Studies; Moderator: Nicole Hemmer, Assistant Professor - Miller Center, Columnist – Vox; Dan Crippen, Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor - President Reagan; Jen Psaki, Director of Communications - White House; Dan Meyer, Director of Legislative Affairs - George W. Bush Administration; Moderator: Martin S. Indyk, Executive Vice President, Brookings Institution; Bruce Jones, Vice President and Director - Foreign Policy, Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Project on International Order and Strategy; Philip Zelikow, White Burkett Miller Professor of History - University of Virginia; Eric S. Edelman, Former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense.

THE GOOD OCCUPATION: AMERICAN SOLDIERS AND THE HAZARDS OF PEACE. 12/12, 4:00-5:30pm. Sponsor: Wilson Center, History and Public Policy Program. Speaker: Susan L. Carruthers is Professor of History (US & the World) at Rutgers University-Newark, The Good Occupation: American Soldiers and the Hazards of Peace (Harvard University Press, 2016).

Japan, Germany and the Burden of Trump

By the

Editorial Board, Bloomberg View, December 2, 2016

Next week marks the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that triggered the U.S. entry into World War II. Now America’s two main antagonists in that war -- Germany and Japan -- will have to become more prominent defenders of the international order the U.S. built after its victory.

President-elect Donald Trump -- who adopted the prewar isolationist slogan "America First" -- has frequently signaled a discomfort with America’s many global responsibilities. He has suggested that its strategic alliances are worth only what U.S. allies are willing to pay for them, that trade agreements should be torn up and replaced with tariff wars, and that democracy and human rights matter less than good relations with autocrats such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

It’s entirely possible, of course, that President Trump will view America’s role in the world differently than President-elect Trump. And it almost goes without saying that the U.S. remains, by an order of magnitude, the world’s most powerful nation -- economically, militarily, culturally.

That said, and given the premium that Trump has put on unpredictability, Germany and Japan will have to do what they can to fill any vacuum created by a retreating U.S.

Both countries share an interest in shoring up regional security. Trump’s tilt toward Putin and skepticism toward NATO will put an extra burden on Germany to hold the line on European Union sanctions against Russia and to step up German defense spending. Japan must work with a mercurial and unproven U.S. president in dealing with North Korea, even as South Korea is rocked by political scandal. To check Chinese adventurism, Japan must also increase its strategic cooperation with Southeast Asia.

Trump’s bluster on trade underlines the growing challenge to global economic integration, which was slowing even before his election and which is a prime concern to the world’s third- and fourth-biggest economies. In Europe, Germany will need a more flexible approach to the fiscal problems facing EU members and to negotiations over the U.K.’s exit from the union. Japan, faced with Trump’s scuttling of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, should take the lead in forging a high-standard trade agreement among the TPP’s other members, which would also promote greater regional stability.

Germany and Japan have long been quiet standard-bearers for democracy and human rights. Given Trump’s harsh positions on such issues as torture, Syrian refugees, and foreign aid, they’ll need to speak out more forcefully -- as German Chancellor Angela Merkel did in her tart post-election congratulations saying that cooperation with the U.S. depended on shared basic principles.

One U.S. presidential election, even one as momentous as this year’s, cannot unravel an international order more than seven decades in the making. But Donald Trump can and will disrupt that order. And when those disruptions prove dangerous, Germany and Japan may find themselves in the best position to protect the very values -- democracy, liberty, respect for the rule of law -- over which they once fought a war with America

A New Kind of Reconciliation in East Asia?

Obama's bow at Hiroshima

Harry & Helen Gray Senior Fellow, Director of the Society, Culture & Politics Program at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) and APP member Dr. Lily Gardner Feldman discusses in this essay the current opportunities for reconciliation in East Asia in light of President Barack Obama's May visit to Hiroshima.


President Obama noted in an interview with the Asahi Shimbun before his visit to Hiroshima that his presence was an example of reconciliation: “I will point out that Prime Minister Abe and I coming to Hiroshima together shows the world the possibility of reconciliation—that even former adversaries can become the strongest of allies.” Six weeks earlier, in an interview with Asahi TV, Secretary of State John Kerry also referenced reconciliation to characterize Japanese-U.S. relations: “Well, no matter what people feel about [the dropping of the atomic bomb], we are now friends and allies. We have worked through a remarkable reconciliation.” The visits of Secretary of State Kerry and President Obama to Hiroshima in April and May 2016 came at the same time as Franco-German commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the battle of Verdun, providing an opportunity to reflect on reconciliation in Europe and in East Asia.

The current international salience of reconciliation has not been missed by foreign policy experts. For example, the former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the State Department, Ambassador Wendy Sherman, recently identified the global need for reconciliation—what she calls “political forgiveness”—as a political priority.

This essay looks at the nature of the reconciliation suggested by President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima, and how it compares to the iconic reconciliation pursued by Germany over more than seventy years. The path of Germany’s foreign policy of reconciliation (with France, Israel, Poland, and Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic) can be described in terms of timing, motives, actors, mechanisms, opposition, and consequences. The argument here is that, while there are many similarities in the elements that make up reconciliation across the two cases, U.S.-Japanese reconciliation as exemplified at Hiroshima is more of a pragmatic kind, lacking the deep moral basis of the German and European experience.

Timing

Germany’s official policy of active reconciliation started early, in the 1950s with France and Israel, whereas Obama’s visit to Hiroshima took place a long 70 years after the dropping of the atomic bomb. Nonetheless, not all issues were settled speedily in the German case, as evidenced by the agreement on World War II slave and forced labor, which occurred only in 2000. And in the Japanese case, the framework for a new relationship was outlined soon after war, in the San Francisco Treaty of September 1951.

Motives

Germany was driven by both pragmatic motives (the return of considerable sovereignty in exchange for facing the past) and a moral imperative (compensation and contrition were the right thing to do). The dual motives were also present for Germany’s victims.

Obama’s motives for going to Hiroshima were pragmatic: to augment the U.S. relationship with Japan; to help stabilize East Asian security at a time of perceived growing threats from China, both economic and military. Obama also framed the visit in moral terms, but not like the morality in the European experience. By emphasizing the universal immorality of using nuclear weapons, Obama removed U.S. agency. He referred to a “shared responsibility to look directly into the eye of history and ask what we must do differently to curb such suffering again.” German officials from Adenauer to Merkel have accepted German responsibility for World War II and the Holocaust. In the Obama visit, there was no Japanese acceptance of responsibility, and no explicit American accusation.

History and memory, often the expressions of moral composure, were general but key terms for Obama: “[T]he memory of the morning of August 6, 1945 must never fade. That memory allows us to fight complacency. It fuels our moral imagination. It allows us to change.” Yet, specifics were lacking.

There is a danger in this treatment of history that it will become a footnote in Japanese-U.S. relations rather than a touchstone for constant dialogue. Obama’s view of history fits with Prime Minister Abe’s. Abe insisted, in the recent “comfort women” agreement with South Korea, that there be no more discussion of the issue. For Germany, commemoration has taken place repeatedly at the same sites for 70 years. It is unclear with Hiroshima whether this visit by a head of state will be the first and only such visit, or the beginning of symbolic gestures by heads of state and government and cabinet members at sites where the war in the Pacific can be remembered with regularity. In the European context, these visits often have been additionally powerful when the German representative has been accompanied by a representative of the other country. Joint visits (as with Obama and Abe in Hiroshima) both confirm and contribute to reconciliation.

Actors

In the German and European example, civil society actors were catalysts for reconciliation, beginning soon after the war and even before the Federal Republic was founded. U.S.-Japanese postwar relations similarly have been shaped by non-governmental relations in many societal arenas from economics to culture, from town twinning to educational and academic exchange. The European societal activities typically have been coordinated with official initiatives. At first, in the planning for the Hiroshima visit, American POWs were led to believe an American POW would accompany the President, but in the end this amplification of the visit did not materialize.

Another aspect of the nature of actors in these bilateral relations is the distinction, and common experience, of being both victims and perpetrators. While carefully avoiding the idea of an apology or reexamination of the decision to drop the bomb, Obama’s presence and words at Hiroshima importantly validated Japan as victim, albeit not singularly but as part of a universe of victims: “We come to mourn the dead, including over 100,000 Japanese men, women, and children, thousands of Koreans, a dozen Americans held prisoner.” Yet, Americans were Japan’s victims at Pearl Harbor and thereafter, which went unrecognized in the Hiroshima visit.

Germany recognized early on its role as perpetrator of World War II and the Holocaust, but Germany and its victims have underscored in the last 25 years that Germans—those expelled from Poland and Czechoslovakia—were also victims, without suggesting a moral equivalence between Germans and other victims. Obama carefully avoided a victimhood vocabulary, but Abe said nothing to dispel the impression.

Mechanisms

In addition to symbolic gestures and civil society initiatives mentioned above, in a variety of policy arenas bilateral institutions have expressed policy preferences between the two sides in the European example. So, too, economics (constructing interdependence as an antidote to past conflict and as a bulwark against new conflicts) and defense (making war between the two impossible) have been prominent in the U.S.-Japanese case.

The key mechanism shaping European reconciliation has been the moral practice of acknowledgement of grievances, including but not limited to apologies, statements of regret, treaty language. The moral nature of acknowledgement is seen in its early and repeated use. Seventy years after World War II, Germans have no pragmatic need to acknowledge their conduct in the war and the Holocaust, but they continue to do so for reasons of moral compunction. Apology, or a variant thereof, has three basic requirements: a recognition of the suffering of the victims; the assumption of full responsibility by the perpetrator for his/her acts; an indication of the material or spiritual compensation for the loss. Only the first, a recognition of suffering, was present at Hiroshima, distinguishing morally the U.S.-Japan case as practiced at Hiroshima from Germany. Obama wanted to avoid the appearance of delivering an apology.

Opposition

European reconciliation teaches us that there is often opposition to the process, usually from domestic forces. Obama’s caution at Hiroshima was prompted by veterans’ rejection of the need for an apology. They felt it would call into question the decision to use the atomic bomb and would upend Truman’s reasoning that the bombing brought a speedy end to the war and avoided a massive loss of life. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center poll, 56 percent of Americans believed the use of the bombing was appropriate. Among those over 65, the figure for acceptance was 70 percent.

Despite Obama’s conviction that his visit to Hiroshima might advance his most profound commitment to a world without nuclear weapons, making victims but not contrition important, he inevitably has received the political criticism he anticipated. Supporters of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee called Obama “weak” and the visit unnecessary because Japan was the undisputed aggressor. For Obama’s nuclear agenda, and for his policy of making Japan the Asian leader against a rising China, this first act of reconciliation was essential. The test now is whether it will hold and be reciprocated.

Consequences

Bilateral reconciliation in Europe contributed in the postwar world to the stability of Western Europe as a whole. A new round of reconciliation after 1989 contributed to stability and solidarity in Eastern Europe, although Putin’s hyper-nationalism and nostalgia for the Soviet era have put both in question. Greater stability in East Asia could be a consequence of Obama’s trip if the President were to move vigorously on three fronts:

1. insist on a visit by Abe to Pearl Harbor (both sides need to acknowledge history). The Japanese defence minister visited in November 2015, but an equivalent to the President’s Hiroshima gesture is necessary;  
2. increase the number and intensity of civil society connections between Japan and the U.S. and include China and South Korea. There are many disparate non-governmental initiatives, but increasing, consolidating, and profiling them would provide a critical mass for a new push to reconciliation; 
3. be willing to mediate between Japan and China and between Japan and South Korea over history issues. 

Before the Hiroshima visit, the U.S. did not have the moral authority to push Japan toward regional reconciliation because of the use of the atomic bomb. Japan perceived and presented itself as victim. Now that its victimhood has been validated, both sides are liberated to look at reconciliation with fresh eyes. Such a willingness would assume that the Hiroshima visit was a demonstration of strength and courage, not the weakness the President’s critics are intent to claim.

Prime Minister of Japan’s Schedule June 8-14, 2015

Monday, June 8, 2015

AM
(Local time in German)
Hold talks with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron in Schloss Elmau
Attend the G7 Summit, discuss energy, climate change, and counter-terrorism issues with outreach guests.

PM
Attend a commemorative photo session with outreach guests
Working lunch with outreach guests on the theme of development, women, health and Africa
Hold a press conference in the city of Munich

Tuesday, June 9, 2015AM
(In transit)

PM
04:47 Arrive at Haneda Airport from Germany on personal government aircraft with wife Akie, completing attendance of the G7 Summit
05:04 Depart from airport
05:26 Arrive at Imperial Palace. Register return to Japan
05:33 Depart from Imperial Palace
05:47 Arrive at private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

AM
12:00 At private residence (no visitors)
08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo (no morning visitors)
09:41 Depart from private residence
09:55 Arrive at Hotel New Otani in Kioi-Cho, Tokyo. Attend the 85th General Meeting of the Japan Association of City Mayors in the banquet hall Tsuru within the hotel, deliver address
10:17 Depart from hotel
10:22 Arrive at office
10:36 Meet with Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Amari Akira, Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office Matsuyama Kenji, and Cabinet Office Director-Generals for Policies on Cohesive Society Maekawa Mamoru, Habuka Shigeki, and Tawa Hiroshi
10:58 End meeting with Mr. Amari, Mr. Matsuyama, Mr. Maekawa, Mr. Habuka, and Mr. Tawa
10:59 Meet with wife Junko of former Lower House Speaker, the late Machimura Nobutaka
11:14 End meeting with Ms. Machimura Junko

PM
12:13 Meet with LDP Secretary-General Tanigaki Sadakazu
12:47 End meeting with Mr. Tanigaki
01:15 Meet with Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Administrative Vice-Minister Nishi Masanori and Director-General of Bureau of Personnel and Education Manabe Ro
02:08 End meeting with Mr. Nishi and Mr. Manabe
02:26 Meet with Secretary-General of Headquarters for Abduction Issue Ishikawa Shoichiro
03:01 End meeting with Mr. Ishikawa
03:04 Meet with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka
04:14 End meeting with Mr. Saiki
04:25 Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru, and MOD’s Director of Defense Intelligence Headquarters (DIH) Miyagawa Tadashi enter
04:33 Mr. Yachi and Mr. Miyagawa leave
04:40 Mr. Kitamura leaves
05:17 Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy meeting
06:20 Council meeting ends
06:21 Speak with Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Takaichi Sanae
06:31 Finish speaking with Ms. Takaichi
06:33 Depart from office
06:40 Arrive at Chinese restaurant Akasaka Hanten in Akasaka, Tokyo. Dinner meeting with Chairman of Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly Hatahara Motonari and colleagues
07:52 Depart from restaurant
08:09 Arrive at private residence

Thursday, June 11, 2015

AM
08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo (no morning visitors)
09:30 Depart from private residence
09:47 Arrive at office
10:10 Meet with LDP Lower House member Kawai Katsuyuki
10:25 End meeting with Mr. Kawai
10:50 Meet with Cabinet Office’s Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination Inoue Motomi
11:00 End meeting with Mr. Inoue
11:19 Meet with State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Takagi Yosuke
11:39 End meeting with Mr. Takagi
11:49 Receive a courtesy call from the Hokota Brand Ambassadors and others from Hokota City, Ibaraki Prefecture. LDP Lower House member Nukaga Fukushiro also attends
11:55 Courtesy call ends
11:56 Meet with the Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture Tsugumasa Muraoka and President of Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly Hatahara Motonari

PM
12:10 End meeting with Mr. Tsugumasa and Mr. Hatahara
01:39 Meet with Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization Amari Akira and Acting Director of Bureau of Headquarters for Japan’s Economic Revitalization Sugawara Ikuro
02:07 End meeting with Mr. Amari and Mr. Sugawara
02:09 Receive a courtesy call from the Governor of Mie Prefecture Eikei Suzuki. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide
02:22 Courtesy call ends
02:24 Meet with Chairman of Japan War-Bereaved Families Association [Nippon Izokukai], LDP Upper House member Mizuochi Toshiei
02:39 Meet with Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru, MOFA’s Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau Hiramatsu Kenji, Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Director-General of Bureau of Defense Policy Kuroe Tetsuro
02:49 End meeting with Mr. Yachi, Mr. Kitamura, Mr. Hiramatsu, and Mr. Kuroe
02:53 Meet with Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Kimura Taro
02:59 Meet with Minister in charge of Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan Ishiba Shigeru, Special Advisor to Minister of State for Special Missions Ito Tatsuya
03:32 End meeting with Mr. Ishiba and Mr. Ito
03:33 Meet with Minister in charge of Total Reform of Social Security and Tax Amari Akira. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu also attends
04:02 End meeting with Mr. Amari
04:03 Vice-Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Oishi Toshio, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry‘s Administrative Vice-Minister Ishiguro Norihiko, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)’s Director-General of Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Uemura Tsukasa. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige also attends
04:18 The 21st meeting of the Industrial Competitiveness Council
05:11 Meeting ends
05:13 Meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Aso Taro
05:35 End meeting with Mr. Aso
05:36 National Security Council meeting
06:09 Meeting ends
06:17 Depart from office
06:25 Arrive at Palace Hotel Tokyo. Attend the gathering organized by Prime Minister supporters’ group Shinsei-kai that is formed by psychiatrists, exchange views with participants. Special Advisor to President of LDP Hagiuda Koichi also attends
06:55 Depart from the hotel
07:09 Arrive at Japanese restaurant Fukudaya. Dinner meeting with financiers including three Honorary Chairmen of Keidanren Imai Takashi, Okuda Hiroshi, Mitarai Fujio, and President of Japan Post Holdings Co. Nishimuro Taizo
08:41 Depart from hotel
08:55 Arrive at private residence

Friday, June 12, 2015

AM
12:00 At private residence (no visitors)
07:51 Depart from private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo
08:03 Arrive at office
08:11 The 37th meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters
08:24 Meeting ends
08:26 Cabinet meeting
08:38 Meeting ends
08:39 Speak with Minster in charge of Abduction Issue Yamatani Eriko
08:40 Speak with Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Shimomura Hakubun
08:42 End speaking with Mr. Shimomura
08:48 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu
09:15 End meeting with Mr. Kato
09:53 Depart from office
09:55 Arrive at the Diet
09:56 Enter Lower House Committee Room No. 16
10:12 Meeting of the Committee on Health, Labor, and Welfare of the Lower House begins

PM
12:01 Meeting of the Committee on Health, Labor, and Welfare of the Lower House adjourns, leave Lower House Committee Room No.16
12:03 Depart the Diet
12:04 Arrive at the office
12:06 LDP Research Commission on Regional Diplomatic and Economic Partnership Chairman Komura Masahiko, Chairman of LDP Headquarters for Regional Diplomatic and Economic Partnership Eto Seishiro, and Director of LDP Foreign Affairs Division Akiba Kenya
12:19 End meeting with Mr. Komura, Mr. Eto, and Mr. Akiba
01:39 Meet with Minister in charge of TPP Amari Akira, Chief Domestic Coordinator of Governmental Headquarters for TPP Sasaki Toyonari, Chief Negotiator of Government Headquarters for the TPP Tsuruoka Koji, Deputy Chief Negotiator of Government Headquarters for TPP Oe Hiroshi and others
02:10 End meeting with Mr. Amari, Mr. Sasaki, Mr. Tsuruoka, and Mr. Oe
02:11 Meet with Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Amari Akira, Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office Matsuyama Kenji, Cabinet Office’s Director-General for Policies on Cohesive Society Tawa Hiroshi
02:18 End meeting with Mr. Amari, Mr. Matsuyama, and Mr. Tawa
02:25 Receive a courtesy call from Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr. Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command
02:46 Courtesy call ends
02:47 Receive a courtesy call from President of Center for American Progress Neera Tanden
03:20 Courtesy call ends
03:23 Meet with Governor of Fukushima Prefecture Uchibori Masao. Former Minister for Reconstruction Nemoto Takumi also attends
03:37 End meeting with Mr. Uchibori
03:38 Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)’s Special Envoy for Peace in the Middle East Kohno Masaharu, Former Commissioner of Agency for Cultural Affairs Kondo Seiichi enter
03:51 Mr. Kohno and Mr. Kondo leave
04:07 Mr. Saiki leaves
04:08 Meet with Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru
04:36 End meeting with Mr. Kitamura
05:02 The sixth meeting of the Council on Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan
05:05 Meeting ends
05:51 Deliver an address for the inauguration of Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives Suganuma Kenichi and other ambassadors
05:56 Finish the address
05:57 Depart from office
06:03 Arrive at Izakaya Fukunohana- Tameike-Sanno in Akasaka, Tokyo. Informal talks with Head of Yamaguchi Prefecture’s Representative Office in Tokyo Murata Dai and others
06:43 Depart from the Izakaya
06:58 Arrive at Japanese restaurant Ginza Syotoh in Ginza, Tokyo. Dinner with wife Akie
09:11 Depart from office
09:34 Arrive at private residence

Saturday, June 13, 2015

AM
08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo (no morning visitors)
08:27 Depart from private residence
08:55 Arrive at Haneda Airport
09:09 Depart from the airport by Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF)’s U4 plane
10:48 Arrive at Kagoshima Airport
11:17 Depart from the airport by JASDF’s C1 Transport

PM
12:03 Arrive at Yakushima Airport
12:09 Depart from the airport
12:26 Arrive at a welfare facility in Yakushima Town. Encourage the residents who had evacuated there
12:35 Depart from the facility
12:41 Depart from the Miyanoura branch of the Yakushima Town Hall. Hear an explanation on the state of damage and state of evacuation, and then exchange views with Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture Ito Yuichiro and Mayor of Yakushima Town Araki Koji
01:08 Finish exchanging views
01:09 Encourage the members of the Yakushima Town Disaster Headquarters
01:12 Finish encouraging the members
01:13 Lunch with Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture Ito Yuichiro and Mayor of Yakushima Town Araki Koji
01:22 Lunch ends
01:28 Arrive at the Miyanoura Community Hall, now an evacuation center
01:30 Exchange views with residents who had evacuated there
01:38 Finish exchanging views
01:40 Encourage the primary school and middle school students who had evacuated there. Commemorative Photo session
01:44 Commemorative Photo session ends
01:49 Interview open to all media: when asked “how will the government handle the situation of the residents from Kuchinoerabu island and other places in the future,” Mr. Abe answers, “Based on observations of the situation, the government will accelerate the preparation for the temporary visits and the building of temporary residences and will strive to restore the damaged reputation.”
01:54 Interview ends
01:58 Depart from the community hall
02:15 Arrive at the Yakushima Airport
02:26 Depart from the airport by JASDF’s C1 Transport
02:49 Arrive at Kagoshima Airport
03:09 Depart from the airport by Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF)’s U4 plane
04:29 Arrive at Haneda Airport
04:40 Depart from the airport
05:01 Arrive at official residence

Sunday, June 14, 2015

AM
11:00 At official residence (no morning visitors)
Stay at official residence throughout morning

PM
02:40 Depart from official residence
02:49 Arrive at hotel Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi, Tokyo. Do exercise in the gym NAGOMI Spa and Fitness within the hotel
05:44 Depart from hotel
05:55 Arrive at the skyscraper complex project Toranomon Hills in Toranomon, Tokyo. Dinner meeting with Japan Innovation Party’s Supreme Adviser Hashimoto Toru and Japan Innovation Party’s Adviser Matsui Ichiro in the hotel Andaz Tokyo
09:00 Depart from hotel
09:18 Arrive at private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo


Provisional Translation by Lu Pengqiao

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule June 1 to June 7, 2015

Monday, June 1, 2015

AM
07:10 Depart from private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo
07:23 Arrive at office
07:24 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu
08:12 End meeting with Mr. Kato
08:54 Depart from office
08:57 Enter Lower House Committee Room No. 1
09:00 Meeting of the Special Committee of the House of Representatives on the Legislation for Peace and Security of Japan and the International Community

PM
12:03 Meeting adjourns
12:04 Leave Lower House Committee Room No. 1
12:06 Depart from Diet
12:08 Arrive at office
12:54 Depart from office
12:55 Arrive at Diet
12:57 Enter Lower House Committee Room No. 1
01:00 Meeting of the Special Committee of the House of Representatives on the Legislation for Peace and Security of Japan and the International Community reopens
05:01 Meeting adjourns
05:02 Leave Lower House Committee Room No. 1
05:03 Enter LDP President’s Office
05:06 LDP Officers Meeting
05:23 Meeting ends
05:24 Speak with LDP Secretary-General Tanigaki Sadakazu, Chairman of LDP General Council Nikai Toshihiro, and LDP Executive Acting Secretary-General Hosoda Hiroyuki
05:32 Leave LDP President’s Office
05:33 Depart from Diet
05:34 Arrive at office
05:35 Interview open to all media: when asked “the feeling of hearing the news of the former Lower House Speaker Machimura Nobutaka’s death,” Mr. Abe answers, “I have been receiving his guidance since I was young. I feel really sorry.”
05:36 Interview ends
05:47 The 8th meeting in 2015 of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy
06:46 Meeting ends
06:47 Interview open to all media: when asked, “how will the government respond to the information leak of Japan Pension Service?” Mr. Abe answers, “ I have instructed Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Shiozaki that we must put the pensioners in first and guarantee the completeness of our measures.”
06:48 Interview ends
06:49 Depart from office
06:52 Arrive at ANA InterContinental Hotel Tokyo in Akasaka, Tokyo. Attend the party hosted by LDP members’ group Yurinkai  [有隣会] that is led by Secretary-General Tanigaki Sadakazu in the banquet hall Prominence within the hotel, deliver an address
06:58 Depart from the hotel
07:05 Arrive at Chinese restaurant Akasaka Hanten in Akasaka, Tokyo. Informal talks with all top reporters of Cabinet Kisha Club
08:32 Depart from the restaurant
08:52 Arrive at the residence of the late former Lower House Speaker Machimura Nobutaka, condolence call
09:11 Depart from the residence
09:28 Arrive at private residence

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

AM
12:00 At private residence (no visitors)
07:46 Depart from private residence
07:59 Interview open to all media: when asked “the feeling of wearing Kariyushi shirt” (a style of dress shirt originating in Okinawa), Mr. Abe answers, “Light and cool, I feel great.”
08:00 Interview ends
08:07 Hold the 29th meeting of the Global Warming Prevention Headquarters
08:20 Meeting ends
08:24 Cabinet meeting
08:37 Meeting ends
08:39 Meet with Commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency Kubo Shigeto and others
08:55 End meeting with Mr. Kubo and others
09:05 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Iijima Isao
09:21 End meeting with Mr. Ijima
09:52 Meet with Chairman of LDP Election Strategy Committee Motegi Toshimitsu
10:31 End meeting with Mr. Motegi
10:32 Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Nagamine Yasumasa, and MOFA’s Director-General of Economic Affairs Bureau Saiki Naoko enter
10:52 Mr. Nagamine leaves
11:06 Mr. Saiki and Ms. Saiki leave
11:07 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Sakaiya Taichi
11:15 End meeting with Mr. Sakaiya
11:16 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Honda Etsuro
11:30 End meeting with Mr. Honda
11:31 Meet with President of Parliamentary League for Promotion of Soccer Diplomacy Eto Seishiro
11:44 End meeting with Mr. Eto
11:45 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Kiso Isao
11:47 End meeting with Mr. Kiso
11:48 President of Bank of Japan Kuroda Haruhiko enters

PM
12:47 Mr. Kuroda leaves
01:33 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Hirata Takeo
01:46 End meeting with Mr. Hirata
01:49 Depart from office
02:02 Arrive at Federation of Economic Organizations [Nippon Keidanren] Assembly Hall in Otemachi, Tokyo. Attend the Regular General Meeting of the Nippon Keidanren, deliver an address
02:30 Depart from the hall
02:39 Arrive at office
02:40 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Fuji Satoshi
02:48 End meeting with Mr. Fuji
02:49 Meet with former Lower House member Nishikawa Kyoko
02:57 End meeting with Ms. Nishikawa
02:58 Meet with the Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Kenneth C. Frazier and others
03:12 End meeting with Mr. Frazier and others
03:13 Meet with Minister of Finance Aso Taro, Vice-Minister of Finance for International Affairs Yamasaki Tatsuo, and Ministry of Finance’s Director-General of International Bureau Asakawa Masatsugu
03:45 End meeting with Mr. Aso, Mr. Yamasaki, and Mr. Asakawa
03:50 Meet with Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Kimura Taro
03:54 End meeting with Mr. Kimura
04:02 Receive a courtesy call from the four winners of the 46th National Truck Driver Contes
04:09 Courtesy call ends
04:14 Meet with the CEO of Korean Lotte Group Shigemitsu Akio
04:24 End meeting with Mr. Shigemitsu
04:44 Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru, and Director of Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center Shimohira Koji enter
04:55 Mr. Shimohira leaves
04:56 National Police Agency (NPA)’s Director of Security Bureau Takahashi Kiyotaka enters
05:01 Mr. Yachi and Mr. Takahashi leave
05:16 Mr. Kitamura leaves
05:17 Receive a courtesy call from former President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy
05:38 Courtesy call ends
06:03 Receive a courtesy call from Team Japan of the J7 Summit and Dr. Agnes Chan, Goodwill Ambassador of the Japan Committee for UNICEF
06:19 Courtesy call ends
06:20 Depart from office
06:30 Arrive at wine bar Amuruzu in Ginza, Tokyo. Dinner meeting with President of New Renaissance Party Arai Hiroyuki
08:46 Depart from the bar
09:07 Arrive at private residence

Wednesday, June 3, 2015
AM
12:00 At private residence
08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo (no morning visitors)
08:36 Depart from private residence
08:52 Arrive at Imperial Palace. Reception event for President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino III
09:41 Depart from Imperial Palace
09:51 Arrive at office
10:51 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Yoshimura Yasunori
11:00 End meeting with Mr. Yoshimura
11:01 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Otani Yasuo
11:25 Receive a courtesy call from Minister for Defence of Australia Kevin Andrews MP. Minister of Defense Nakatani Gen
11:47 Courtesy call ends

PM
01:22 Meet with Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiyama Shinsuke, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Nagamine Yasumasa, MOFA’s Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Ihara Junichi, MOFA’s Director-General of European Affairs Bureau Hayashi Hajime, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)’s Director-General of Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Uemura Tsukasa
02:29 End meeting with Mr. Sugiyama, Mr. Nagamine, Mr. Ihara, Mr. Hayashi, and Mr. Uemura
02:30 Meet with Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru, MOFA’s Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau Hiramatsu Kenji, Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Director-General of Bureau of Defense Policy Kuroe Tetsuro, and Chief of Staff for Joint Staff Council Kawano Katsutoshi
02:47 End meeting with Mr. Yachi, Mr. Kitamura, Mr. Hiramatsu, Mr. Kuroe, and Mr. Kawano
02:53 Depart from office
02:54 Arrive at Diet
02:57 Enter Upper House Chamber
03:09 Welcome ceremony for President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino III
03:37 Ceremony ends
03:38 Leave Upper House Chamber
03:40 Depart from Diet
03:42 Arrive at office
04:01 Depart from office
04:09 Arrive at Hotel New Otani in Kioicho, Tokyo. Attend the in the banquet hall Fuyo within the hotel, deliver an address
04:32 Depart from the hotel
04:39 Arrive at office
05:45 Receive a courtesy call from the Editor–in-chief of Bloomberg News Micklethwait. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige also attends
06:09 Courtesy call ends
06:31 Depart from office
06:38 Arrive at Imperial Palace. Attend Imperial Banquet Reception for President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino III
09:50 Depart from Imperial Palace
10:03 Arrive at private residence

Thursday, June 4, 2015
AM
12:00 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo (no visitors)
08:00 At private residence (no morning visitors)
09:33 Depart from private residence
09:48 Arrive at office
10:00 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Munakata Norio
10:19 End meeting with Mr. Munakata
10:20 Meet with Chairman of LDP International Intelligence Investigative Committee Harada Yoshiaki and others
10:28 End meeting with Mr. Harada and others
10:29 Meet with Chairman of LDP Headquarters for Regional Diplomatic and Economic Partnership Eto Seishiro, Director of LDP Foreign Affairs Division Akiba Kenya, and others
10:40 End meeting with Mr. Eto, Mr. Akiba, and others
10:41 Meet with Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Eto Seiichi
10:52 End meeting with Mr. Eto
10:59 Meet with The Governor of Maryland of the U.S. Larry Hogan
11:11 End meeting with Mr. Hogan
11:12 Meet with Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization Amari Akira and Acting Director of Bureau of Headquarters for Japan’s Economic Revitalization Sugawara Ikuro
11:46 End meeting with Mr. Amari and Mr. Sugawara

PM
12:04 Meet with LDP Secretary-General Tanigaki Sadakazu
12:37 End meeting with Mr. Tanigaki
12:52 Depart from office
12:54 Arrive at Diet
12:56 Enter Lower House Chamber
12:57 Speak with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Aso Taro and Chairman of LDP Diet Affairs Committee Sato Tsutomu
12:59 Finish speaking with Mr. Aso and Mr. Sato
01:00 Speak with LDP Executive Acting Secretary-General Hosoda Hiroyuki and Chairman of LDP Election Strategy Committee Motegi Toshimitsu
01:01 Finish speaking with Mr. Hosoda and Mr. Motegi
01:02 Lower House Plenary Session begins
01:04 Leave in the middle of Lower House Plenary Session
01:05 Depart from Diet
01:07 Arrive at office
01:09 Meet with Cabinet Advisor Nakamura Yoshio
01:14 End meeting with Mr. Nakamura
01:37 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Nagamine Yasumasa, Vice-Minister of Finance for International Affairs Yamasaki Tatsuo, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry‘s Administrative Vice-Minister Ishiguro Norihiko, Ministry of Environment’s Vice-Minister for Global Environment Seki Soichiro
02:59 End meeting with Mr. Seko, Mr. Nagamine, Mr. Yamasaki, Mr. Ishiguro, and Mr. Seki
03:04 Receive a courtesy call from the 67th United States Cherry Blossom Queen Noelle Mary Verhelst and others
03:13 Courtesy call ends
03:17 Send off the funeral procession for the late former Lower House Speaker Machimura Nobutaka in front of Prime Minister’s Office. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Aso Taro, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide also attend
03:19 Send-off ends
03:22 Meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Aso Taro, Ministry of Finance (MOF)’s Deputy Vice-Minister Fukuda Junichi, MOF’s Director-General of Budget Bureau Tanaka Kazuho, and MOF’s Director-General of Tax Bureau Sato Shinichi
04:19 End meeting with Mr. Aso, Mr. Fukuda, Mr. Tanaka, and Mr. Sato
04:21 The seventh Thematic Meeting of the Industrial Competitiveness Council
04:57 Meeting ends
05:19 Depart from office
05:24 Arrive at Akasaka Palace State Guest House in Moto-akasaka, Tokyo.
05:59 Japan-Philippines Summit Meeting with President of the Republic of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino III
06:45 Summit meeting ends
06:49 Signing ceremony, exchange of documents, and joint press announcement.
07:11 Joint press announcement ends
07:22 Host a banquet, deliver an address
08:55 Banquet ends
09:08 Depart from Akasaka Palace
09:13 Arrive at Aoyama Funeral Hall in Minamiaoyama, Tokyo. Attend the Tsuya (the Japanese practice of keeping vigil over the dead) for the late former Lower House Speaker Machimura Nobutaka
09:17 Depart from Aoyama Funeral Hall
09:30 Arrive at private residence

Friday, June 5, 2015

AM
12:00 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo (no visitors)
07:47 Depart from private residence
08:00 Arrive at office
08:07 The fifth meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Promotion of Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country
08:21 Meeting ends
08:26 Cabinet meeting
08:38 Cabinet meeting ends
09:24 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Nagamine Yasumasa, and MOFA’s Director-General of European Affairs Bureau Hayashi Hajime
10:40 Depart from office
10:51 Arrive at Aoyama Funeral Hall in Minamiaoyama, Tokyo. Attend the funeral for the late former Lower House Speaker Machimura Nobutaka, deliver a memorial address
11:53 Depart from Aoyama Funeral Hall

PM
12:05 Arrive at office
01:01 Ruling Party Liaison Conference
01:23 Conference ends
01:25 Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Amari Akira, Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office Matsuyama Kenji, Cabinet Office Director-General for Policies on Cohesive Society Maekawa Mamoru, and Cabinet Office’s Director-General for Policies on Cohesive Society Tawa Hiroshi enter
01:46 Mr. Matsuyama, Mr. Maekawa, and Mr. Tawa leave
02:02 Mr. Amari leaves
02:07 Receive a courtesy call from the Miss Plum Girls. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige also attends
02:15 Courtesy call ends
02:20 Receive a courtesy call from Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
02:35 Courtesy call ends
02:40 Receive a courtesy call from the President of International Association of Athletics Federations Lamine Diack, the President of Japan Association of Athletics Federations Yokokawa Hiroshi. Cabinet Advisor Hirata Takeo also attends
03:05 Meet with Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru
03:23 End meeting with Mr. Kitamura
03:28 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiyama Shinsuke, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Nagamine Yasumasa, MOFA’s Director-General of European Affairs Bureau Hayashi Hajime, MOFA’s Director-General of International Cooperation Bureau Ishikane Kimihiro, and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry‘s Administrative Vice-Minister Ishiguro Norihiko
04:10 End meeting with Mr. Seko, Mr. Sugiyama, Mr. Nagamine, Mr. Hayashi, Mr. Ishikane, and Mr. Ishiguro
04:11 Meet with Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro and Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka
04:31 End meeting with Mr. Yachi and Mr. Saiki
04:37 Receive a courtesy call from Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Cemil Çiçek
04:54 Courtesy call ends
05:14 Depart from office
05:23 Arrive at Hotel New Otani in Kioicho, Tokyo. Attend the party hosted by LDP Faction Nikai in the banquet hall Fuyo within the hotel, deliver an address
05:34 Depart from hotel
06:03 Arrive at Haneda Airport
06:24 Interview open to all media: when asked “where will the G7 Summit be held next year?” Mr. Abe answers, “as we hope to choose a venue where world leaders could feel and enjoy Japan’s rich culture and tradition, along with its beautiful scenery, we decided that Mie prefecture would be hosting the summit.”
06:28 Interview ends
06:54 Depart from airport on personal government aircraft with wife Akie bound for Ukraine in order to attend the 2016 G7 Summit
(Local time in Ukraine)
Arrive at Boryspil International Airport in Kiev, Ukraine. Stay night at Hotel Hyatt Regency Kyiv in Kiev city.

Ukraine Famine Memorial

Saturday, June 6, 2015
AM
(Local time in Ukraine)

Offer flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Memorial in Commemoration of Famines’ (Holodomor) Victims in Ukraine, and the Maidan memorial
Attend a military parade. Attend a summit meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. Signing ceremony. Joint press announcement
Attend a welcome lunch hosted by President Poroshenko and his wife

PM
(Local time in Ukraine)
Hold talks with Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Groysman
Observe a hybrid car being used by traffic police. Visit Saint Sophia’s Cathedral
Depart from Boryspil International Airport
(Evening) Arrive at Munich Airport in German
Stay night at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich city

Sunday, June 7, 2015
AM
(Local time in German)
Depart from Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich city
Arrive at the venue of the 2015 G7 Summit Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, Southern German by helicopter
Hold talks with President of the French Republic François Hollande

PM
Attend G7 Summit
Welcome ceremony hosted by Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel. Commemoration Photo Session. Discuss on the themes of global economy

Provisional Translation by Pengqiao Lu