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University of Hawai'i |
(808) 956-8856 Telephone |
For Immediate Release: |
February 1, 1999 |
Contact: Prof. Yasumasa Kuroda, 956-8494 (UH); 396-9802 (home) Vincent K. Pollard, 956-8494, pollard@hawaii.edu |
5th International Symposium on Societies and Economies in East Asia concludes at UH "Comprehensive Security in the 21st Century East Asian Commonwealth: Carpe Pacem" was the theme of the 5th International Symposium on Societies and Economies in East Asia, which ended this evening in the Imin Conference Center of East-West Center. Since Wednesday, symposium participants-scholars from China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Europe and the United States-have shared their ideas about alternative futures for a peaceful East Asia.
Opening the conference on Wednesday evening, Willa J. Tanabe, dean of the UH School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies, called attention to the "peaceful" name of the ocean surrounding the symposium's venue. Hawai'i, she said, "is an appropriate location for a conference focused on broad conceptions of peace and security in the 21st century."
Friday morning's session included an exchange in Japanese between former U.S. Trade Representative Attorney Charles Lake II and Prof. Anatoly Koshikin of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Lake is an alumnus of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
Examining and combining economic, environmental and military definitions of "security," the scholars addressed such issues as food sufficiency, democratization and nonviolence as aspects of "comprehensive security." The international diversity of conference participants brought a varietyi of perspectives to their discussions. Panel presentations on Thursday and Friday were followed by open question-and-answer sessions and summary comments. Although skeptics may doubt that cooperation was possible among such a diverse group, UH political science Prof. Yasumasa Kuroda, one of the conference organizers, notes that a promising degree of collaboration was achieved. He is hopeful, he says, about the future peace and security of East Asia. A volume of edited papers from the conference will be prepared by Kuroda.
Kuroda and two other UH political science faculty members-Prof. James A. Dator and Asst. Prof. Kate Zhou-served as the Hawai'i Organizing Committee for the "21st Century East Asian Commonwealth" symposium. The Asian Research Institute of Osaka University of Economics and Law originated the idea for the conference and was the major donor. Co-sponsors included several units of the UH School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies (Centers for Japanese Studies, Korean Studies and Chinese Studies); the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies of Honolulu and the East-West Center.
Fifth International Symposium on Societies and Economies in East Asia The symposium theme focused on the development of an East Asia commonwealth for the common purpose of achieving peace and security in the region. The commonwealth as envisioned here primarily includes China, Taiwan, the two Koreas, Japan and the United States. It is conceived of as a loose network of nations working together for the mutual advantage of each and all nations where every nation will be treated and respected equally as a partner. In the post-Cold War era, Prof. Yasumasa Kuroda points out, the world has become more interdependent than ever before. Effective control of the movement of capital, labor, commodities, money, ideas or cultural practices across borders is becoming difficult if not impossible. What can East Asia do to catch the wave that could benefit each nation and the entire region? This conference was designed to take note of the trends of rapid change and try to focus on the following dimensions of the Commonwealth: 1. common problems, domestic and international, in regard to security, including economic, environmental and military issues. 2. existing regional cooperation and international organizations. 3. objectives and parameters of a new East Asian commonwealth, including driving forces for the realization of the Commonwealth. The purpose of the envisioned Commonwealth does not stop at developing and institutionalizing means of peaceful conflict resolution, but also includes building peace and mutually beneficial relations in the region. Symposium presenters and their topics included: · James A. Dator, "Carpe Futurum! Seize the Future Before It Seizes You." · Shinkichi Eto, "Comprehensive Security and Natural Gas Pipeline in East Asian Commonwealth." · Johan Galtung and Fumiko Nishimura-Galtung, "National, Economic and Environmental Security: East Asian Commonwealth for the 21st Century." · Dru C. Gladney, "China and Central Asia Relations: Implications for Asian Security." · Michael Haas, "Comprehensive Security and International Relations in East Asian Commonwealth." · Ke-ok Han, "The Historical Significance and Lessons of the North Korea-U.S. Agreement Leading to a Comprehensive Solution of the Nuclear Weapons Program on the Korean Peninsula" (in absentia). · Stephen D. Kiser, "The Implications of Chinese Environmental Security: An Examination of Food Production, the Three Gorges Dam, and Environmental Confidence Building Measures." · Charles D. Lake II, "Economic Security of East Asia in the 21st Century: Prosperity through Rules-Based Open Trading System." · Satu Limaye, "Recent Perspectives on Asian Security." · Marc Luyckx, "A Positive Scenario for East Asia seen from Europe" (in absentia). · Yoichiro Sato, "Comprehensive Security in Northeast Asia: A Search for Sustainable Economic Development and Political Stability." · Robert A. Scalapino, "East Asian Security in the 21st Century" · Jisaburo Tanimoto, "International Cooperation for the Protection of the Environment in East Asia." · Robert Valliant, "Russia's Future in East Asia." · Kachitsugu Yoshida, "Basic Problems of Democracy in Korea and Taiwan" (in absentia). · Kate Zhou, "Political Gap in a Globalized East Asia." For abstracts or other details on papers and presentations, phone 956-8494. |
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