East Asian countries

В статье рассматривается политика Японии в Персидском заливе период ирано-иракской войны и ирако-кувейтского конфликта. Япония, исходя из принципов мирной конституции, не принимала участие в военных операциях в регионе, а была сторонница мирного разрешения конфликта. Благодаря усилиям Японии был заключен мирный договор между Ираном и Ираком, а в ирако-кувейтском конфликте предоставляла финансовую помощь Кувейту. Однако политика невмешательства Японии в военные действия была осуждена, что стало одной из причин пересмотра Японией своей ближневосточной политики и для резкой перемены своих подходов к региональным проблемам.

This paper examines political and economic strategy of Japan in Central Asia  and tries to reveal Japan's main interests in the region. Strategic geography and rich natural resources of Central Asian states are attracting Great Powers and neighboring regional states to increase their influence in this region. Though Japan is not engaged in "new great game" politics, it has its political and economic strategy towards the region. For realizing it, Japan is conducting bilateral and multilateral relationships with the states of the region by using Official Development Assistance (ODA) program as a tool. Being interested in political stability and security of this region, Japan in its political and economic activities assists the states of Central Asia to overcome economic difficulties and isolation as well as promotes the formation of political union for further integration of Central Asian region.

В статье рассмотрены несколько спорные исторические и политические вопросы, касательно истории войны, виновности той или иной страны в различных политических инцидентах, а также проблемы, связанные с их освещением со стороны стран-участниц войны. Главным образом были представлены исторические факты и инциденты, в причастности которых обвиняется Япония, и была исследована степень освещенности этих проблем в японских учебниках по истории. В статье подробно описывается международно-политическая ситуация, сложившаяся во время Второй мировой войны, а также причины милитаризации и национализации Японии, с целью противостояния империалистической экспансии не только внутри страны, но и в азиатском регионе в целом.

Official development assistance (ODA) is aid provided by
developed countries to developing states aiming to support economic
and social developments. Japan's ODA started in 1954 after joining the
Colombo Plan which was established in 1950 by the British
Commonwealth to provide technical assistance to the countries of
South Asia. Japan has started to provide post war reparations to Asian
states such as Burma, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam since
1955.1 Thus, Japan's assistance to developing countries launched from
the formation of its reparation policy towards Asian states.
20 developed states established the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1960 for providing ODA.
This paper aims to reveal JICA's activities in Armenia and
Azerbaijan within the last 30 years. The author uses comparative
analysis research methods to find out what projects JICA has been
implementing in Azerbaijan and Armenia, what is the main focus of
Japan, which areas are prior for JICA to develop in Armenia and
Azerbaijan.

The information about the beginning of Armenian-Japanese cooperation goes back to the 19th century, which mostly referred to the commercial sphere. Japan has always been interested in the fate  of  Armenians.  Since  1894,  the  Japanese  press  has  regularly  covered  the  mass  killings  of  Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, as well as the Armenian Genocide in 1915.In 1922 the first international humanitarian aid fund, headed by Eiichi Shibusawa, was opened in Japan to support Armenian Genocide survivors. Japan also showed a great support to Armenians during 1988’s earthquake in Spitak city.After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the restoration of independence of the Republic of Armenia, Armenian-Japanese relations were limited only to economic assistance provided by Japan in an attempt to rehabilitate the dilapidated economic and social structures of Armenia. Since 1992, the economic policy of Japan in Armenia has been observed in three stages according to the type of assistance provided by Japan to Armenia such as grants, loans and technical equipment.Since  2018,  there  has  been  noticed  a  tendency  towards  equal  partnership  in  the  field  of  economy and in the development of mutually beneficial economic relations between Armenia and Japan.

The region of South Caucasus due to its geographical position and energy carriers possession has a
strategic importance, being situated in the center of Eurasia continent and being the most important pivot
connecting Asia with Europe. Japan considers the South Caucasus as a part of Central Eurasia and it is
greatly interested in establishing peace and stability in the region. Japan’s position towards the conflicts of
the South Caucasus is in line with the Western states, in particular, in the issue of the resolution of
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, it gives priority to the OSCE Minsk Group’s activities and supports the early
peaceful settlement of the conflict, while in the issues of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Japan supports the
preservation of the territorial integrity of Georgia.
In the article the development trends of Japan's foreign policy in the South Caucasus as a part of
Central Eurasia continent were presented in four stages of development:
1. The phase of familiarization and establishment of diplomatic relations (1991-1996),
2. "Eurasian" or "Japanese Silk Road" conceptual policy (1997-2003),
3. Conceptual policy of "Central Asia plus Japan" dialogue (2004-2018),
4. "Japan's Caucasus Initiative" policy (from 2018 till now).
Japan implements its economic policy towards the South Caucasus states through the ODA
program, providing bilateral and multilateral aid for developing the target sectors in three republics of the
region.