Generational change in Sino-Japanese relations : the role of the internet and the State

Abstract

This presentation uses the strett protests in April 2005 as focal point to explore the current relations between Chinese and Japanese youth, why the expression of the hostility has become more pronounced and whether this is significant. At the very time the two economies are becoming more closely integrated economically, hostility is becoming more vociferous. The dimensions of the inqury focus on the role of the internet in creating a new political space which provides a public platform as well as anonymity to express extreme views; the role of the Chinese and Japanese governments in fuelling tensions but also trying to manage the outcome; the growing nationalism of both Chinese and Japanese youth in the context of the readjustments in economic and political reiongal architecture