Japan thumbs nose at int'l public opinion

Japan thumbs nose at int'l public opinion

Bantarto Bandoro, Jakarta

If one were to ask which countries of East Asia have the most
conflicting relations with other countries in the region, the
answer is probably Japan. Japan is currently under the diplomatic
spotlight due to its policy on its history textbooks and
territorial sovereignty over disputed islands both with China and
Korea, thus causing diplomatic friction with Seoul and Beijing.

It is a fact that Japan is in a territorial dispute not only
with Korea, but also with China, Taiwan and Russia.

Japan's immediate neighbors, South Korea and China, have
recently been deeply hurt by the twisted history in the latest
editions of its public school books, which again fail to mention
the atrocities the Japanese committed during World War II. The
region is seeing massive anti-Japanese protests, particularly in
Seoul and Beijing. The demonstration in Beijing turned violent
and Japan's embassy there was damaged, an act that prompted Tokyo
to request an apology from Beijing -- which was not forthcoming.

The current tension tells us that history still hurts. The
lingering bitterness over Japan's past imperialism still
threatens to mar relations between the large East Asia powers.
Quarrels over the Japanese version of history have flared up off
and on for a quarter of a century, most recently in 2001 when a
previous version of the books at the center of the current
controversy was submitted for approval.

Shortly after the 2001 controversy, Junichiro Koizumi, on
becoming Japan's prime minister, caused even deeper offense by
visiting the Yasukuni Shrine where the souls of Japan's war dead
(including 14 Class-A war criminals) are interred. Yasuhiro
Nakasone did the same in 1985, but refrained from paying further
tribute due to strong protests from Japan's neighbors.

The Japanese, perhaps, might have argued that Seoul and
Beijing's legitimate concerns and voices of justice are an
interference in their internal affairs. True. How to edit
ordinary textbooks, how to examine and approve these textbooks
and how to educate the nation are indeed matters that should be
left to the Japanese themselves. But these books, seen from the
perspective of those who were adversely affected by Japan's
wartime behavior, are not just ordinary books. Even, the current
generation outside Japan might adopt the wrong perspective about
Japanese wartime behavior if the real history is officially
distorted.

The specific issues in question revolve around the accounts of
what actually occurred in its neighboring Asian countries and
involve the concealment of the historical facts about Japanese
expansionism. Thus, obviously this has gone beyond the scope of
Japan's internal affairs. It concerns Japan's relations with
neighboring countries and concerns the respect for the feelings
of the people of those neighboring countries.

What one sees is actually the reality that Japan is dealing
with its past in a kind of "nationalistic" mode. The result of
that makes people outside Japan feel that the current Japanese
government's sense of international public opinion seems to have
changed for the worse, and has increasingly changed to a style of
thinking only of itself, while giving no thought to its immediate
neighbors.

Here, we see that Japan faces two rather antagonistic
diplomatic fronts: Korea and China. It is not impossible,
however, that the two might collaborate more closely to
effectively urge Japan to rectify the distorted historical facts.

This time, the outrage over the history books comes in the
wake of several other regional disputes, all involving Korea and
China. Japan's Shimane prefecture designated Feb. 22 this year as
"Takeshima Day", emphasizing Japan's claim to the disputed
islands, triggering protests in Seoul. Takeshima is the Japanese
word for what Seoul calls Dokdo, a group of islets claimed by
Korea.

Japan also faces tough issues from China with regard to the
former's claim over and action in another group of islets called
Senkaku. China, which also claims the islands, calls them Diaoyu.
To assert its claim, China was reportedly sending ships to an
area near the islands, looking for oil and gas, while Japan was
thinking of doing the same, thus raising the scary prospect of a
confrontation between their navies.

Now that Japan is seeking a permanent seat on the United
Nations Security Council, its closest neighbors, Korea and China,
have made their stance of opposition clear, although countries
far away from the region, such as France and Germany might view
the Japanese endeavor in a positive light. Perhaps, a more ideal
situation would be one where Japan's Asian neighbors nominate it
for the seat, instead of Tokyo bidding for such a status on its
own.

The question one would raise is perhaps: what basis one has to
believe that Japan, which, to some extent, is failing in its
relationships with its closest neighbors, will be able to assume
international responsibilities as a world leader?

So, the countries in Asia in particular, will be watching
Japan carefully whether its future international security role is
commensurate with the way Japan handles its past history. For
Japan to exert a leadership role commensurate with its economic
power, it needs to win respect of its neighbors in the region,
rather than merely maintaining friendships with them.

The writer (bandoro@csis.or.id) is Editor of The Indonesian
Quarterly of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS). He is also a lecturer at the International Relations Post
Graduate Studies Program, Faculty of Social and Political
Science, University of Indonesia, Jakarta.