ABSTRACT
On the sixtieth anniversary since the enactment of the San Francisco Peace Treaty (SFPT) (April 28, 2012), an international conference entitled Sixty Years of the San Francisco System: Continuation, Transformation, and Historical Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific was held in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The whole-day conference was devoted to examining key developments of the contentious political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific that share a common foundation in the early post-World War II arrangement with Japan. The SFPT, together with its associated security arrangements, significantly shaped the post-World War II order and laid the foundation for the structure of the Cold War confrontation in the Asia-Pacific: The San Francisco System is in many ways responsible for continuing tensions in the region. These include both tangible and intangible conflicts, of which the major issues were examined at the conference, where intensive and lively discussions were exchanged among the participants from China (PRC and ROC), Japan, Korea (ROK), Russia, Australia, the United States, and across Canada. Although almost all participants acknowledged the importance of peaceful resolution, they did not necessarily share a common view on the issues examined, such as disputes over territories and “history” problems. Nevertheless, it generated significant inspirations for considering conflict resolutions in the region.1
