Abstract: [Note: This a speech the author presented at the Northeast Asia Cooperation Forum hosted by the East Asia Research Center, School of International Relations, Renmin University of China, that was printed in the Journal of East Asian Affairs.] There are in general at least two aspects in any security regime among nations: One is a hard one, such as military strategic balance, diplomatic relations including treaties, organizations, and so on. There is another aspect which may comprise what may be called soft ones. Culture governs relations among people, attitude toward one another, implicit assurances about expected behaviour of the other side, and is a common value whether of implicit or explicit kind, shared identity, sense of attachment or belonging, etc. This latter aspect of the security regime in the context of Northeast Asia which I propose to address together with all who are present today, one of the reasons for doing so ebing the former aspect of the subject has been covered rather well and the latter relatively little.
