Diplomatic report reveals Japan's dilemma

Jin Xide China Daily Asia News Network Beijing

A recent report by the Japanese Government shows the country's foreign policies are ambiguous, demonstrating intrinsic contradictions in its complicated national sentiment and different foreign lines.

The report, submitted by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's foreign affairs advisory group, on Japanese basic diplomatic strategy in the 21st century, claims Japan should immediately draw up a clear-cut diplomatic strategy based upon its national interests.

A heavy proportion of the report is dedicated to how Japan should deal with China's emergence as an economic power.

It says a "powerful China" has brought "ever sternest" new problems to Japan over the past one and a half centuries since the Opium War.

The report points out that to cope with the rise of China remains one of Japan's important goals in the 21st century.

According to the report, China's astonishing development vitality, the U.S. evolution towards becoming the world's hyperpower, as well as the integration of the European Union (EU), remain the three trends of the current world.

The report betrays that Japan has now fallen into a deep dilemma on how to adapt itself to China's rapid economic development.

It seems the report has made hard work to avert plunging into a conventional pattern of the "China threat" theory.

It says Japan should not take China's rapid development as a threat, but as a rare opportunity and the two countries should learn from each other's experiences of success for common prosperity.

And it further points out that political factors should not be excessively involved in the Sino-Japanese economic field, and Japan should improve its own competitiveness to handle its disadvantageous economic situation.

The report also appeals to Japan to look upon its relation with China in a calm mood, but not with blind nationalist sentiment.

However, the whole report is still permeated with a heavy tone of a "China threat."

Claiming that China's military build-up will possibly pose a serious threat to Japan from a middle and long-term perspective, the report accuses China's army of being an unstable factor in the East Asian region.

In the economic field, it argues Japan has fallen the largest victim to China's booming economic development given that numerous factors and conditions, which have brought about Japan's high-speed economic growth in the past, have already been forfeited by competition from China.

With such a twisted psychology, the report suggests Japan should develop its relations with the Republic of Korea, United States and countries in Southeast Asia and Australia, to establish a wide-range alliance to deal with the threat from China.

To effectively contain China, the report proposes that Japan should take advantage of the equilibrium role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries in its diplomatic ties with China and strengthen its relations with Canada, Australia, India and Russia to offset China's overstretching influences.

It even suggests Japan should strengthen diplomatic ties with China's Taiwan Province.

Regarding Japan's ties with the U.S., the report still demonstrates Japan's self-conflicting sentiments of relying on the world's sole superpower and trying not to be over-dependent.

On the one hand, it holds that the Japan-U.S. security alliance will best serve Japan's national security within the foreseeable future and therefore gives lavish praise on its largest ally.

For example, the report claims the U.S. serves as the final safeguard for Asian and world security and without it, large- scale threats to the current world will not be prevented.

On the other hand, the report believes it is time for Japan to reconsider and re-explore its relations with the world's largest developed country.

It believes the U.S. and Japan have their different priorities on a series of issues in Asia, the Middle East and other regions.

Claiming the U.S. is advancing towards a hyperpower beyond a superpower, the report believes it is becoming less tolerant of other values, possibly reducing its involvement in international disputes.

For example, the report cites the U.S.' negative attitude towards Japan's Asian Monetary Fund programme and refusal of participation in the Kyoto Protocol as the sign of the hyperpower's reducing its diplomatic obligation.

Holding that U.S. relations with Japan cannot become as intimate as its ties with Britain due to different geopolitical environments, the report suggests Japan should try to develop complementary diplomacy with the U.S. while keeping its diplomatic agreement with the largest developed country.

As to the Japan-U.S. missile defence programme, the report proposes that Japan should not completely depend on the U.S. in collecting information on Asian countries while maintaining mutual co-operation.

Meanwhile, the report also suggests issues on the collective self-defence power should be discussed, indicating Japan's intention to take advantage of its alliance with the U.S. to break through its military restrictions.

Regarding Japan's dream to break political systems built after World War II and its dream for a "political power" or a "normal state," the report is also saturated with intrinsic contradictions and struggles between different parties.

Claiming the United Nations is a body established by victorious nations and yet to be reformed, it also believes the world's largest multilateral body is the world's only organ to effectively maintain world peace and stability and resist unilateral actions.

Therefore, Japan should try to provide co-operation to the body, the report suggests.

It also proposes that Japan adjust its post-World War II systems to actively play a "world police" role in maintaining world security.

While claiming the maintenance of freedom and democracy remains one of Japan's national interests, the report also suggests Japan should differentiate itself from the high-pressure policy adopted by Western countries and take an appropriate method to this end.

Regarding East Asian co-operation, the report proposes that Japan should promote regional integration and become a key country in the region.

At the same time, it also suggests Japan should sign free trade agreements with neighbouring economies to offset China's ever-expanding influences.

On the issue of history, the report calls upon Japan to extricate itself from the hurdles of history to improve its profile in Asia.

To this end, it suggests Japan should change its passive attitude and carry out correct education among its young people.

But at the same time, it expresses concerns about the "serious anti-Japanese" sentiment among young Chinese people.

The report fully demonstrates its dilemma in diplomatic decision-making.

The writher is a researcher at the Institute of Japanese Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences