Two decades have already elapsed since the Cold War between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union ended, and the accompanying ideological standoff, whereby two political systems vied for supremacy, is now in the distant past.

In Asia too, history has moved on. One notable example is socialist Vietnam’s membership of ASEAN, an organization originally established as a bulwark against communism. Likewise, through the ASEAN Plus Three forum, Japan, China and South Korea are transcending differences in their political systems to further cooperation. Such developments underscore the fact that the Cold War era is well and truly over.

During the past 20 years, China’s GDP has increased 20-fold on a Chinese yuan basis, and the country has become the world’s third-largest economy. This growth has prompted a shift in China-Japan relations—whereas initially it was accepted that Japan would bear the financial onus, today the norm is for both countries to conduct bilateral exchanges on an equal footing based on shared obligations.

The demise of ideology as a key factor in international relations, in combination with China’s dramatic economic advancement, has led to stronger bilateral cooperation and exchanges in various fields. Over time, these activities have produced some remarkable successes, and the activities of The Kazankai Foundation are no exception.

The current global recession has made the road ahead uncertain for China and Japan alike. Economic relations between the two countries, however, are already founded on a bedrock of close cooperation. Indeed, good international relations exist among East Asian nations in general, with the notable exception of North Korea. It is therefore unlikely that bilateral exchanges between China and Japan will be greatly hindered by the recession.

The Foundation celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008, marking 110 years since the founding of its predecessor, the Society for Common East Asian Culture. During 2008, construction of the Kasumigaseki Common Gate West Tower was completed and the Foundation acquired part of the new building, thereby bolstering its financial base.

For more than a century, the Foundation has striven to bridge Japan and China. Our policy is to maintain this tradition, even as we further extend and deepen grass roots exchange and research activities involving China and other East Asian nations.

The Foundation’s activities are outlined below:

1. Educational Exchange Projects
The Foundation’s educational and academic exchange activities between Japan and China have flourished in step with the aforementioned developments in international relations.

Already more than 400 students, researchers and teachers have traveled from one country to the other as participants in the Foundation’s foreign student exchanges and programs for Chinese teachers of Japanese. In addition, enrollment at the Foundation’s Japanese language schools preparing Chinese students for entry to Japanese universities and graduate schools is consistently around 110 students. Meanwhile, the Foundation’s Chinese language schools targeting Japanese businesspeople and students also consistently enroll more than 300 individuals in core curriculum courses alone.

2. International and Domestic Symposiums
The Foundation collaborates with Chinese universities, research bodies and a number of other organizations to hold annual international symposiums at alternating venues in Japan and China.

The most recent was a symposium titled held in Tokyo in September 2008. The Foundation hosted this symposium jointly with the Shanghai Center of Japanese Research and Exchange and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The Foundation also hosts a Japan-based symposium once a year, in principle, in collaboration with universities and other bodies. In July 2008, the Foundation collaborated with Doshisha University to jointly host one such symposium on the theme of “Security Issues Concerning China:

3. Publishing
The Foundation publishes the monthly journal Toa (“East Asia”), which covers international affairs in the region. In February 2009, the journal reached its 500th issue.

The Foundation also edits Chugoku Soran (“Biennial Conspectus on China”), which is a journal published every two years by GYOSEI Corporation that summarizes trends in Chinese politics, military affairs, diplomacy, economics and society. The most recent edition was the 2007/2008 issue.

In addition to the above, the Foundation has published a collection of documents relating to China-Japan relations titled “Basic Source Materials on Sino-Japanese Relations, 1972-2008” in commemoration of its 60th anniversary.