IMPLEMENTING "SOFT POWER" IN EAST ASIA TODAY

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS ON WHICH TO WRITE a short persuasive essay demonstrating (1) a knowledge of the facts involved in the situation being addressed; (2) an understanding of the various issues of “power” and “authority” involved in resolving the dispute; (3) an appreciation of the concept of “soft power” as a tool useful in the development of a justifiable diplomatic position; (4) insights into the cultural differences at work in the situation.

• Taking a Japanese point of view, write a short essay reflecting a “soft power” argument attempting to convince the Chinese government / the Chinese people (choose one or the other, not both) that Japan is sincerely repentant for its military aggression against China between 1931 (the invasion of Manchuria) and 1945 (when the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought an end to the Pacific War).
  
• Developing a Chinese perspective, compose a short essay using “soft power” persuasion to convince the Japanese Ministry of Education to oversee a meaningful revision of the nation’s junior high school textbooks to better reflect the events occurring during the Pacific War, particularly as they affected China and its citizens.
  
• From a Japanese viewpoint, construct a short “soft power” argument directed towards the Chinese government / the Chinese people (choose one or the other, not both) arguing in favor of Japan being granted a permanent seat on the United Nation’s Security Council.
  
• Prepare a brief essau from a Chinese “soft power” point of view (directed towards the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) arguing for a change in official Japanese policy towards Taiwan (which now opposes a military invasion of the island to return control to the mainland government in Beijing).
  
• Construct a short “soft power” policy statement, one that might be issued by Chinese government policy makers, seeking to win Chinese popular support for the Three Gorges Project (centering on the construction of a major dam on the Yangtze River in central China).
  
• Devise a memorandum issued by the Office of the Prime Minister in Tokyo justifying (in “soft power” terms) visits by members of the Koizumi Cabinet (representing the government of the current Prime Minister) to Yakusuni Shrine in Tokyo on the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the Pacific War. Direct the memo specifically to one of two distinct audiences: the Japanese public OR the Chinese public, seeking to persuade one or the other of the appropriateness of the undertaking.