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.