60 Years from San Francisco: Post-War Japanese Peace Treaty and the Regional Conflicts in East Asia

Speaker: Kimie Hara

In September 1951 Japan signed a peace treaty with 48 countries in San Francisco. This postwar peace treaty fell far short of settling outstanding issues at the end of the Pacific War or facilitating a clean start for the “postwar” period. Rather, various aspects of the settlement were left equivocal, and continue to have significant and worrisome implications for regional international relations. The treaty’s handling of territorial disposition is a case in point. Close examination of treaty drafts reveals key links between the regional Cold War that was unfolding in 1951 and equivocal language about the designation of territory, which can be related to several contentious frontier problems in the contemporary East Asia. Sixty years later, the so-called Acheson Line and Containment Line still divide countries of the region, part of a legacy of unresolved problems. This presentation will explain origin and contemporary implication of the major frontier problems in East Asia.

About the Brown Bag Lecture Series

IIAS is pleased to introduce the 2011 Brown Bag Lecture Series. Every second Tuesday of the month one of the IIAS researchers will present his/her work-in-progress in an informal setting to their colleagues and other interested attendees. The brown bag lectures are organized to give the research community the opportunity to freely discuss ongoing research and to exchange thoughts.
Please bring your own lunch. IIAS will provide coffee, tea, cold drinks, and possibly a snack. Reservation is not required, but space is limited.

2011: 8 February, 8 March, 12 April, 10 May, 14 June, 12 July, 13 September, 11 October, 8 November, 13 December.