From The International Herald Tribune:
The 60th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in what is known here as the Great Asian War marks as well the waning of a century of Japanese economic dominance of Asia.
Just 100 years ago, in 1905, Japan defeated Russia in another, smaller war, a victory that helped start it on its drive for regional leadership. Now China, with its surging economy and diplomatic forays in the region, has begun to stake a claim on the century ahead.
“What we are looking at now is the end of an era, with China taking the place that Japan had been in as the overwhelming power in Asia,” said John Dower, the author of “Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II.”
