Understandably, Japanese have been preoccupied with the Korean Peninsula since the start of 2018. In this Country Report, we cover issues not central to the serious matters over the peninsula, while in the upcoming Report, we focus exclusively on peninsular matters. Together, the two reports serve as coverage of Japan for the first two issues of 2018, including brief accounts from late December 2017 through the dramatic developments in early March 2018: a breakthrough in North-South talks promising to revitalize contacts; agreement for a US-North Korean summit; Moon Jae-in’s March 1 speech with unmistakable references to Japan; Donald Trump’s imposition of unilateral tariffs affecting Japanese exports of steel; and official signing of  the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP or TPP-11).

Read full article at www.theasanforum.org.