In the far east, who do you think makes the best movies:  Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, mainland China, or Taiwan?

And what is your reason (s)?

I'd say China too though I've heard good things about korean acting.

.. are you guys kidding ? I like Hero,House of the flying Daggers and Red Cliff, but it's Japan by a landslide

even Akira Kurosawa's fantastic movies like Yojimbo, Shichinin no Samurai or Ran alone tip it into their favor, but additionally there are things like Zatoichi, the various horror movies like Ringu or Dark Water and ofcourse the ever fun Battle Royale

and I'm not even counting the fabulous anime movies from Ghibli and Satoshi Kon yet

"Makes"? As in the present tense? I dunno. But all time, it's definitely Japan because Kurosawa was Japanese.

Battle Royale is the greatest movie ever made. My Neighbour Totoro from Studio Ghibli would be second. 

Again, there's no right answer here, just opinions :P Though I say Japan wins this by quite a few light years.

Hero and the like are entertaining movies (as I said, I like those), but to call them "classics" over Kurosawa's works sure is .. bold.

*shrugs* btw narrowmindedness doesn't count in my world

Jackie Chan.

Excellent question. Once upon a time it was clearly Japan. Akira Kurosawa and the Godzilla-movies. Later Hongkong took the crown (I only say Jackie Chan), followed by Japan (Anime like Akira and Studio Ghibli + horror-movies like ringu).
But today mainland China and South Korea are in the same league. Sure, Japan is the leader in Anime, but South Korea starts to get into this field too. They not only want to draw the animes for Japan. But who changed Korea the most in movie business is Park Chan-Wook, one of the greatest directors of all time (yes, like Akira Kurosawa and Alfred Hitchcock).
Mainland China has his great director with Zhang Yimou. Additionally all the Hongkong-stars now cooperate making movies with mainland-china (Jackie Chan - Little Big Soldier, Stephen Chow - Kung Fu Hustle). The other way round too, newer Zhang Yimou movies are also cooperation with Hongkong. So Hongkong-movies and mainland-china-movies are harder to separate these days.
And Japan has more also than anime these days: Takeshi Kitano (Zatoichi), Sabu (Kanikôsen) or Ryuhei Kitamura are also great directors.
So I think all three are on the same level these days: China/Hongkong, South Korea and Japan. Taiwan is trailing behind in my opinion.

By a country fucking mile!

Well, That are older movies. But Zatoichi, Kanikôsen and so on show, that Japan has also today this talent. And for your selection: I think Battle Royale is good and Totoro too, but the best from Ghibli/Miyazaki is Laputa and the best Japanese movie is The seven samurai.

And in newer time Korea and China have good movies too, try 'I'm a cyborg, but that's OK' or other Park Chan-Wook-movies or Doomsday Book for Korean movies. And try Little Big soldier, The flowers of War or House of the flying daggers for China/Hongkong-movies.