Local actors and international regionalism: The case of the Sea of Japan zone

The Sea of Japan Zone (SJZ) is an area that has been shaped essentially by transnational relations between the localities of western Japan, northeastern China and the Russian Far East. The emergence of this new type of space, based on interlocal cooperation, is a significant aspect of what could be called the ‘new’ regionalism, i.e. the polymorphous and multicen‐tred movement that is affecting international relations today as opposed to its more rigid version of the late 1950s. The shape of the new regionalism reflects the transformation of international relations in general: this particular regionalization process, that gave shape to the SJZ, is linked to the transnationalization of local actors. The idea of creating the SJZ, in the late 1960s, was first an external answer (interlocal cooperation) to an internal problem (uneven development in Japan). It became a reality some twenty years later as Russian and Chinese localism eventually converged with Japanese localism. Despite important domestic differences the need for local actors around the Sea of Japan to look outside for better development conditions made the synergy possible. It produced a new regional entity that needs to be defined and, for that purpose, that could be compared to other transnational zones in East Asia or even in Europe. Their common characteristic appears to be a functional approach to regional cooperation.     

Das naturschutzrechtliche Vorkaufsrecht

Die Anwendung des naturschutzrechtlichen Vorkaufsrechts wirft in der Praxis immer wieder Fragen auf. Dies gilt etwa für die Problematik der Rechtsnatur der Vorkaufsrechtsausübung, aber auch für die Frage, ob die zust?ndige Beh?rde verpflichtet ist, die Ausübung des Vorkaufsrechts auf solche Teile eines Grundstücks zu begrenzen, die tats?chlich für Zwecke des Naturschutzes ben?tigt werden. Fraglich ist weiterhin, welche Anforderungen an die Rechtfertigung der Vorkaufsrechtsausübung zu stellen sind. Schlie?lich sind die Auswirkungen des § 467 S. 2 BGB auf das naturschutzrechtliche Vorkaufsrecht weitestgehend ungekl?rt.