JAPAN'S NEW MILITARY ROLE REQUIRES DIPLOMATIC TACT
- From: "PEN Nearovi" <nearovi@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 15 Nov 2005 17:13:08 -0800
JAPAN'S NEW MILITARY ROLE REQUIRES DIPLOMATIC TACT (2005-Nov-15)
The Issue:
Beijing is playing a deft three- stroke political strategy to
ascend as the dominant power throughout the
Pacific. China's strategy:
1.using the sophisticated weapons of former rival, Russia to
achieve an unprecedented naval, air and
strategic expansion;
2.provoking domestic and regional fear of a resurgent
militaristic Japan, by threatening Tokyo into a more
aggressive independent military posture, made worse by Tokyo's lack
of willingness to deal openly with past
historical tragedy;
3.and luring regional dictators into alliances based on the
perceived decline of a naive United States, and
militarily humiliated in the Middle East.
Above all, the "Japan card" may be Beijing's strongest ploy.
Japan has legitimate reasons to fear for
national survival in face of Chinese, Russian and North Korean weapons
of mass destruction. However, an arrogant
lack of diplomacy and tact by both Tokyo and Washington hinders their
ability to explain Japan's vulnerability to
skeptical Asian neighbors with long historical memories. This is also
compounded by Japan's failure to openly come
to terms with its imperialist past. American officials should also
think carefully about what type of explosive
Pandora's Box may be opened. South Korean officials have warned that
the US may not be able to moderate
Japanese military behavior if Tokyo no longer respects Washington. In
the November 9, 2005 Singapore Straits
Times, Japan's recent Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Tanaka told
reporters he does not believe the United States
should be invited to inaugural East Asia Summit. He stated, "I do not
think the United States is committed to East
Asia community building--I do not think that the United States is a
member of the East Asia Community."
The Growing China-Russia Threat to Japan:
Japan, with its lack of natural resources and vast sea lanes
of communication to defend, is as vulnerable as
any country in East Asia. Almost all of Japan's energy imports must
come past the sea lanes alongside the
Philippines and Taiwan, where Beijing is increasing its air and naval
superiority. On the other hand, our allies in
Manila and Taipei have fallen further behind in airborne and seaborne
defense capabilities. China has repeatedly
threatened Japan over Taiwan, as a, "life or death issue." A
growing flash point for conflict is being caused by
disputed territorial claims in the East China Sea, where both China and
Japan have been drilling for natural gas.
Associated Press reported on October 28, 2005, "in a
muscular display of its rising military and economic
might China deployed a fleet of five warships near the Chunxiao gas
field in the East China Sea." More recently,
the Japan Times reported that between April and October, 2005 Japanese
fighter planes have scrambled 30 times
to turn away Chinese war planes approaching Japanese airspace, more
than twice the number of incidents that
occurred in 2004. Many of these flights were near the natural gas sites
in the East China Sea. In addition, another
72 scramblings of Japanese fighter planes during that same period were
caused by Russian military planes
approaching Japanese air space. Japan and Russia also have disputed
island claims off Hokkaido.
On October 20, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency
reported at the Second Sino-Russian Security
Talks in Beijing, both sides agreed to, "strengthen coordination in
major strategic security issues." And, "to give
stronger support to each other in major issues involving state
sovereignty and national security." In a November,
2005, research paper, "China's Quiet Juggernaut." for the Hudson
Institute, Mary Fitzgerald quoted a Russian
official who warned the Chinese foresee a time when they can push
American military power out of Asia. "[Beijing
believes] all of Asia belongs to China -- and not only Asia."
Japanese officials also see North Korea's nuclear
weapons program as an extension of Chinese power projection. The 1998
launching of a North Korean ballistic
missile that flew over Japan, is believed to be the event that
triggered Japan's military resurgence among most
politicians and a growing number of the public. This duplicity by
Beijing in the North Korean weapons of mass
destruction was identified in the 2005 annual report of the US-China
Economic and Security Review Commission.
The report cited recent testimony by US Defense Intelligence Agency
Director Lowell Jacoby, who stated Chinese
companies continue to provide North Korea and Pakistan with weapons of
mass destruction and related hardware.
He added that in the past, the Chinese government had assisted North
Korean ships and planes involved in arms
proliferation.
Japan's In-Your-Face New Leaders:
The perilous security threat to Japan has led to the rise of
in-your-face nationalist political leaders vying to
replace Prime Minister Koizumi in the September 2006 national election.
The front runner is Shinzo Abe, the current
Chief of Cabinet to Junichiro Koizumi. The articulate and outspoken Abe
has vowed to keep up the controversial
visits to Yazukuni Shrine, for Japan's war dead, without removal of the
14 Class A War Criminals memorialized
there. The November 10, 2005 Japan Times reports, Abe's popularity
rose through his no-nonsense handling of
North Korea over the nuclear missiles and kidnapped Japanese civilians
issues. While Mr. Abe has admitted publicly
that Japan, "caused tremendous suffering and damage to the people of
Asia," during World War II, he has led no
effort to remove the 14 war criminals from Yazukuni.
The second most prominent candidate to replace Koizumi is
current Foreign Minister Taro Aso. The divisive
Mr. Aso is famous for his many controversial statements supporting
discrimination against outcast people in
Japanese society and homeless people. He infuriated all Koreans by
defending Japan's brutal occupation of Korea
where military occupiers forced Koreans to adopt Japanese names. It is
curious that US officials and other allies of
Japan did not more assertively question how a man with Aso's
sharp-tongue and profound biases could be
appointed the country's Chief Diplomat.
China's anti- Japanese Psychological Warfare:
Beijing has combined military threats with
government-orchestrated and internationally publicized
anti-Japanese demonstrations that have infuriated all Japanese.
Beijing, as part of its regional strategy, has
whipped up painful memories of World War II across the region. The
Chinese leaders' skillful anti-Japanese
campaign is rooted in nationalistic manipulation of a domestic
population who loathe corrupt Communist officials. It
is also geared toward forming anti-democratic political and military
alliances with countries in North and South Asia
who suffered under 19th and 20th Century Japanese military domination.
The political move to abandon the
"pacifism" clause in the Japanese Constitution and the adoption of
new national military plan has caused fear in
key strategic countries. Beijing also has buttered the palms of
regional leaders who support its policies and have
threatened others with economic penalties who resist Beijing's
emerging imperial wishes.
On November 13, 2005, the Washington Post quoted Ms. Yang Soon
Im, Chairwoman of the Seoul-based
Association of Pacific War Victims and Bereaved Families, an
organization suing Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi
over his visits to the Yakasuni Shrine for Japanese soldiers who died
in battle. "The far right is taking over in
Japan," she stated. "They are trying to justify and beautify
Japan's past invasions. They do not understand how
this is isolating Japan from world opinion." The fear of Japan's
racial xenophobia was underscored by a visit to
Tokyo and Hokkaido by United Nations Special rapporteur, Doudou Diene.
The Kyodo news service reported on
November 8, 2005, Diene publicly raised then issue of Japan's
traditional Ainu people, who are treated as
outcasts. He also raised discrimination against ethnic minorities, such
Korean and Chinese immigrants, and new
guest workers from other regions of the world.
US Policy:
The US, on the other hand, has not worked with Tokyo to
adequately consult with and educate Asian
neighbors on the legitimate needs for Japan's defense modernization.
Prominent Japanese politicians backed by
culturally and historically insensitive American diplomats and defense
officials - and politicians influenced by Big
Business -- have not adequately articulated the lack of human or social
decency inside of China, much less the
growing military threat. The new US-Japan Defense Agreement was
announced before the international media in
Tokyo on October 30, 2005. It sent shivers of Imperial resurgence
throughout the region. The presiding American
official, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, added to the fire. He is
seen as a boisterous bully - or worse - in
many areas of the world. Regional fear of a resurgent Imperial Japan,
combined with ongoing loss of respect for US
leaders caused by Iraq, has turned Korea and increasing numbers of
Southeast Asian countries to begin leaning
politically and economically toward China.
What Can be Done?
The US and Japan must impress upon Asia the need for a strong
defense against the growing threat of
nuclear war or a conventional war that would devastate the region
socially and economically. Japan, especially
the rising generation of aggressive political leaders, must be more
attuned to the strength that comes from
showing one's neighbors some meaningful accountability for past
transgressions. There must be a regional
consensus - even if that excludes the political manipulators in
Beijing -- that World War II is finally over.
Necessary apologies should be made and textbooks should be honest.
Japanese leaders should either visit other
shrines to the war dead, or remove the 14 Class A war criminals from
Yasukuni Shrine. American leaders must
speak with one voice about the threat to international security caused
by the Beijing-Moscow-North Korean
military alliance. The charade of the "6-Party Talks," where
Beijing has duplicitously backed North Korea, must be
ended. The massive violations of human rights in China must be
consistently addressed by the entire Free World.
Although Japan's military preparedness is essential and
legitimate, the Bush Administration should not be
perceived as "dumping" Asian regional security into the hands of a
xenophobic Japan because we are being
drained in the Middle East conflict. On the others hand, US and
Japanese government agencies and
non-governmental organizations should work together as leaders in
economic and social development throughout
the Pacific region.
Editor: Al Santoli
email: administrator@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
.
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