Well, Teribus, the one and only reason the Japanese "can live with" a re-emerging China is simple: they have no choice about the matter! ;-) They may figure, though, that they still do have some choice where Korea is concerned...and they'd much rather Korea remained weak and divided, I'm sure.

I am anti-imperialist, Teribus. That means that I am definitely anti-American when it comes to their general foreign policy at this particular time in history. It doesn't mean I anti-American in the sense of being against Americans as individuals. I am also opposed to Russian imperialism in various regions, and Chinese imperialism (as practiced in Tibet, for example). I am opposed to British imperialism. I'm opposed to Zionist imperialism. I'm opposed to the Turks beating up on the Armenians and the Kurds. If it were 2,000 years ago, I'd be opposed to Roman imperialism. Same basic deal.

The Americans are the Roman empire of the present era. They're the biggest imperialists of the moment, and they figure they have a God-given right to exercise imperial dominance...they figure that inside every human being on this Earth is lurking an "American" just waiting to burst forth. ;-) They're wrong. The Romans and all great imperialists suffered from the same conceit. They figured their way was "the best". There is no one way that's the best. There are many good ways to live.

I am opposed to imperialism on principle. I'm opposed to the great and powerful in this world dominating and exploiting the small. Don't forget that I lived in the USA for ten years...aged 10-20...through most of the Vietnam war years...as a Canadian citizen. I lived in an extremely rightwing smalltown part of rural New York State. I saw a side of their imperial policy and its gross assumptions of innate cultural and moral superiority...the hypocrisy and unreality of which most of them are unaware of, because they grow up with it so engrained in their education and media that they never question it. I questioned it. I was an outsider. I never forgot that experience and I never will.

I don't necessarily expect you to understand that, because you have had a different life than mine, with, I'm sure, different formative experiences...so different things push your buttons. That's the way it goes with people. We all reflect our past influences.

In any case, we can both agree that Korean re-unification would be a good thing, and yes, I believe its coming would herald the end of Kim-Jong-Il's rule and system. I could happily embrace that notion any time. I don't admire his rule or his system.