Greetings!
Into week three of our annual fundraising campaign to keep the Journal a vibrant voice exploring the Asia-Pacific and the world. We've passed the $1,000 mark en route to a goal of $12,000, which will finance the redesign of our website. We're completing a series of important special issues on Japan's 3.11 disaster, Korea 70 years after division, and endangered islands of the Pacific. Your support is critical to keeping APJ available free to readers globally. APJ is a 501 (c) tax exempt organization, meaning that your contribution is tax deductible. Please donate here!
Three and a half years have passed since the disasters of Marc h 11, 2011, and at least 140,000 refugees remain in limbo due to nuclear fallout. Even as many areas continue to be heavily contaminated, authorities continue to press for the return of the displaced to their homes. Cécile Asanuma-Brice looks at these these policies and their effects, pointing to the abandonment of public responsibility. Amid a national drive to restart Japan's nuclear plants and disputes over medical effects of the Fukushima radiation, she calls for transparency and humanity as the only solution for the beleaguered region. In the face of the myriad of u nresolved problems in the aftermath of Fukushima, the Abe government is not alone in shamelessly promoting nuclear technology throughout the world. Adam Broinowski analyzes how and why the Australian government has concluded a uranium trade deal with India that is in breach of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by tracing the development of a nuclear nexus between India, Australia, Japan and the United States. Indonesia is increasingly representing itself as a Pacific 'nesia' (Greek for islands), seemingly to neutralize West Pa pua's claim to political Melanesianhood. Camellia Webb-Gannon and Jim Elmslie examine how Indonesia is insinuating itself into Melanesian politics and attempting to undercut Melanesian support for West Papuan self-determination. The implications for Melanesia's regional political bloc, the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and for West Papuan politics, they argue, are the primacy of regional realpolitik posing a threat to the cultural and historical ties between the two regions. As reported in depth in the Journal, the recrudescence of self-righteous nati onalism under Abe Shinzo has emboldened right-wing extremists now threatening democratic institutions, civil liberties and Japan's relations with its neighbors. Jeff Kingston reports on some of the context alongside Abe's rise as authorities turn a blind eye to the growing violent presence of the extreme right in Japan.
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