|
|
|
|
The Dragon roars over US-Japan
accord
By J Sean Curtin
In a move with major strategic
implications, Japan and the United States deepened
their military alliance by agreeing on a new set
of common security objectives aimed, though not
spelled out, at containing China's rising military
power in the Asia-Pacific region. For the first
time, the two issued a joint statement recognizing
Taiwan as "a mutual security concern".
Until now, Japan's stance in any conflict
over Taiwan has never been officially stated, even
though thousands of American troops are stationed
on Japanese soil and Washington is obliged under
US law to offer Taipei assistance if its security
is threatened. Beijing has aimed at least 500
missiles at the island, which it considers an
integral part of its territory.
The new
initiative, set forth in a statement this past
weekend in Washington, is the most important
addition in nine years to the US-Japan Security
Alliance, considered the linchpin of US interests
in East Asia. It reflects growing anxiety about
the increasing capability of China's armed forces.
The agreement clearly signals that
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has
decided that Tokyo must adopt a more assertive
stance toward Beijing, finally ending the
long-standing policy of seeking to avoid open
confrontation with the Middle Kingdom.
Consequently, the joint declaration marks
a new low in Sino-Japanese political relations,
which are already under immense strain due to a
series of recent political, territorial and
economic disputes.
For its part, Beijing
views the accord as a sign that Tokyo is actively
siding with Washington over Taiwan. China has
repeatedly threatened to use force if Taipei moves
decisively toward independence.
The
Japan-US declaration was angrily condemned by
Beijing and has heightened tensions with Tokyo. In
a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said,
"The Chinese government and people resolutely
oppose the United States and Japan in issuing any
bilateral document concerning China's Taiwan,
which meddles in the internal affairs of China,
and hurts China's sovereignty."
The joint
document was signed in Washington by Japanese
Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Defense
Agency Director General Yoshinori Ono, along with
their US counterparts, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld.
The agreement should allow Tokyo
to further extend its military cooperation with
Washington, which is currently inhibited by
Japan's pacifist constitution. It will also
greatly increase pressure for a revision of the
war-renouncing article of the constitution,
something the nationalist Koizumi administration
is keen to achieve. The prime minister wants to
change the current limited status of Japan's
Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and convert them into a
full-fledged military, a move Beijing vehemently
opposes.
Some regional analysts take a
broader view of the initiative, believing it
signals that Japan and the US intend to establish
a more formal regional power bloc as a
counterweight to an emerging alliance between
Russia and China.
Ryoji Yamauchi, a
political commentator and president of Asahikawa
University, told Asia Times Online, "The document
is a very significant step in Koizumi's plan to
end Japan's current standing as a pacifist nation
and transform it into a more assertive military
force in the region."
Agreement vague
on specifics
Although the two nations
agreed to intensify discussions on the realignment
of US forces in Japan, they failed to specify how
they would enhance defense cooperation, making
only vague references to the shared roles of their
respective militaries. The exact nature of the new
framework will probably be ironed out in the
coming months, with a final agreement expected to
be signed by US President George W Bush and Prime
Minister Koizumi in July at the Group of Eight
(G8) summit in Scotland. Secretary Rice is
tentatively scheduled to travel to Japan in March
for further discussions.
To soften their
implied criticisms of Beijing, both sides
reiterated their belief in a "one-China policy"
and their commitment to continuing to develop a
"cooperative relationship with China". Washington
has recognized Taiwan as part of China since in
1979, and before the US-Japan statement was
issued, Rice emphasized that there would "be no
attempt to change the status quo [between China
and Taiwan] unilaterally".
Besides
focusing on Taiwan policy, North Korea's nuclear
program was also highlighted in the Japan-US
statement, with calls for Pyongyang to return to
the negotiating table. Additionally, the joint
objectives mentioned several other areas,
including the war on terror, the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, Japan's aspiration to
become a permanent member of the UN Security
Council, as well as a hoped-for resolution to the
decades-long territorial dispute between Japan and
Russia over a group of islands off Hokkaido, the
northernmost part of Japan.
Mixed
reactions to agreement
The policy shift was
enthusiastically greeted by hardline hawks,
including Koizumi's potential successor Shinzo
Abe, the deputy secretary general of the ruling
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). On the other hand,
Japanese business leaders expressed deep concern
that the new declaration would further antagonize
China, risking damage to booming bilateral trade,
which is currently at record highs.
In
stark contrast to Beijing's reaction, Taipei
warmly greeted the announcement. The Taiwanese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quoted as saying,
"We welcome this declaration." However, some
Taiwanese opposition leaders were more cautious
and several expressed concerns about provoking
China.
Japanese Foreign Ministry officials
attempted to play down concerns that the agreement
would further inflame bilateral tensions with
Beijing. A senior diplomat told Asia Times Online,
"It is essential to understand that this new
agreement stresses the importance of continuing to
work closely with China and does not in any way
change our view on the status of Taiwan. Overall,
this agreement does not really alter the current
status quo."
A crucial year for
Sino-Japanese ties
Despite the best
attempts of Japanese diplomats to soften the
impact of its new joint accord, ties with China
are almost certain to deteriorate. This will add
yet another nail in what appears to be the already
heavily hammered coffin of Sino-Japanese
relations.
This year marks 60 years since
the ending of World War II, a significant
anniversary that evokes bitter memories of Japan's
wartime atrocities in China. This year is widely
considered as make or break for Sino-Japanese
political links. Both Chinese President Hu Jintao
and Premier Wen Jiabao have told Koizumi that they
expect him to respect this sensitive milestone by
not making his annual pilgrimage to the
controversial Yasukuni Shrine that honors Japan's
war dead, including convicted Class-A Japanese war
criminals.
However, expectations for a
gentler year ahead were shattered by bilateral
tensions before the year even began. In November,
the brief intrusion of a Chinese submarine into
Japanese waters infuriated Tokyo. In December,
Beijing was enraged by being classified as a
threat in a new Japanese defense review and the
granting of a visa to former Taiwanese president
Lee Tenghui, whom China views as the architect of
Taiwan's push for independence. Not surprisingly,
China's popularity slumped to an all-time low in
an annual end-of-year Japanese government
survey.
While some considered that January
got off to a good start because Koizumi did not
make a contentious visit to the controversial
Yasukuni Shrine on New Year's Day as he did in
2004, Beijing was still angered by the large
number of prominent Japanese political figures,
such as former LDP Secretary General Makoto Koga,
who flocked to the shrine and encouraged Koizumi
to do likewise.
Even before the
announcement of the new US-Japan military accord,
February had already produced new bilateral
sparks. Early in the month, Tokyo announced that
the Japanese Coast Guard had assumed control of a
private lighthouse on one of the remote Senkaku
Islands, which lie in the East China Sea and are
also claimed by Beijing. The structure was built
by a far-right group as a symbol of Japanese
sovereignty, and the Tokyo takeover sparked
demonstrations in Hong Kong and Beijing. The
Chinese Foreign Ministry described the move as a
"severe provocation" that was "absolutely
unacceptable" because it was "illegal and
invalid".
Further adding to the strain is
a just-released interim Japanese survey of two gas
fields in the East China Sea that China plans to
develop. The report states that they may straddle
the border between each nation's exclusive
economic zones. Shoichi Nakagawa, minister of
economy, trade and industry, claimed China's
development of the gas fields might steal
resources from the Japanese side and demanded
Beijing release detailed information on the
project. Beijing refused.
It is clear that
the nascent year 2005 is already turning into a
very poor year for Sino-Japanese ties, which might
break down completely if Koizumi makes his annual
visit to the war-tainted Yasukuni Shrine. The
newly inked US-Japan accord has further
complicated what promises to be perhaps the most
crucial year for bilateral Japan-China ties in
recent decades.
J Sean Curtin is
a GLOCOM fellow at the Tokyo-based Japanese
Institute of Global Communications.
(Copyright 2005 Asia Times Online Ltd. All
rights reserved. Please contact us for information
on sales, syndication and republishing.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
All material on this
website is copyright and may not be republished in any form without written
permission.
© Copyright 1999 - 2005 Asia Times
Online Ltd.
|
|
Head
Office: Rm 202, Hau Fook Mansion, No. 8 Hau Fook St., Kowloon, Hong
Kong
Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
|
Asian Sex Gazette Japanese Sex News
|
|
|
