7. Japan's new PM visits China

    Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited China in October, soon after he took office. The first visit to China by a Japanese prime minister in five years was described as a "turning point" in Sino-Japanese relations which had soured after Koizumi repeatedly visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.     

    8. Non-proliferation efforts suffer setbacks

    On October 9, The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced it had conducted an underground nuclear test, shocking the international community. On October 14, The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to impose sanctions on the DPRK. The UN demanded it eliminate nuclear weapons and to return to the six-party talks immediately and unconditionally.

    Iran's nuclear ambition continued to trouble the international community. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Dec. 23that demanded Iran suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and imposed a nuclear-related trade ban on Iran. However, Iran rejected the resolution.

 

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