The J-Center brings together leaders from Japan and the United States dedicated to developing the best Japan-focused programs in the American Midwest...The J-Conference will help shape the future of relations between organizations, institutions, individuals, and corporate citizens in the American Midwest and Japan.

Backed by its gastronomy, martial arts, music and manga culture, Brazil's small but influential Japanese community is wielding soft power to assert ethnic pride and preserve century-old ties..."the main objective, beyond the preservation of the Japanese culture, is furthering the integration of the Japanese and broader Brazilian communities."

A confrontation of public opinion may be more disastrous than hostilities between the two governments. Is Asia heading toward a dangerous public opinion showdown? If the Japanese government encourages such a trend within Japan, it may start a chain reaction. Room for negotiation in Asia will gradually be squeezed out.

Panda diplomacy has become a pillar of China's soft power strategy, but the death of a week-old baby panda in Japan -- the first born to Tokyo's Ueno zoo in 24 years -- stands to disappoint those who hoped that its birth would motivate "people-to-people sentiment" and help overcome the strained China-Japan relationship.

Hoi An City will host the annual Hoi An-Japan Cultural Exchange on August 24-26, the local culture and sport centre said yesterday. The event will mark the 39th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Viet Nam and Japan (1973-2012) and lead up to their Year of Friendship in 2013.

In the Joint Communiqué of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China in 1972, the Japanese government stated it would deeply reflect on its aggression against China and the hurts and damage it brought to the Chinese people.

Delicious food and a piano recital by the highly acclaimed Chinese pianist Yundi Li opened the Experience China event in Japan on Monday..."The event is expected to serve as a window through which Japanese people can see a whole picture of China that is separated from their country only by a narrow strip of water," Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office.

A Bite of China, a hit documentary focused on Chinese cuisine, is reaching out across the ocean and attracting fans in Japan.