Thursday, May 15, 2008

Japan and China are renewing efforts to build stable, strategic ties for a stronger East Asia. To reciprocate Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda’s trip to Beijing in December 2007, President Hu Jintao is scheduled to visit Japan in May 2008. If this historic meeting occurs as planned, President Hu will be the first Chinese president to visit Japan in a decade. Join our panel of scholars Dr. T.J. Pempel and Dr. Sujian Guo as they explore the complex bilateral relationship between Japan and China. Dr. Uldis Kruze will moderate a panel discussion to explore what topics are open for discussion—as well as what may be too sensitive to mention—between the two leading powers in East Asia.

Dr. T.J. Pempel is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute of East Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, he was Boeing Professor of International Studies at the University of Washington and Glen B. and Cleone Orr Hawkins Professor of Political Science and chairman of Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His research and teaching focus on comparative politics, contemporary Japan, political economy, and Asian regionalism.

Dr. Sujian Guo is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for US-China Policy Studies at San Francisco State University. He also serves as editor of the Journal of Chinese Political Science, series editor of Rowman & Littlefield-Lexington’s Chinese political studies, and president of Association of Chinese Political Studies. His research interests include Chinese/Asian politics, US-China relations, communist and post-communist studies, democratic transitions, and the political economy of East and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Uldis Kruze is Associate Professor and Chair of the History Department at the University of San Francisco. His areas of specialization include contemporary Japanese politics, modern Chinese history, and U.S.-China and U.S.-Japan relations.

Time:
Thursday, May 15, 2008
6:00 pm – Registration & Reception
6:30 pm – Program

Location:
World Affairs Council
312 Sutter Street, Suite 200, San Francisco [map]

Cost:
$ 5 Japan Society, Asia Society and WAC members
$15 General Admission

Co-sponsored by:
Asia Society Northern California
USF Center for the Pacific Rim
World Affairs Council