Japanese Peacekeeping Efforts

Source: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070328/kyodo/d8o53ff80.html

Japan has increased its role in international peacekeeping by announcing its new a counterterrorism operating brigade on Wednesday, March 28. This new division of the Japanese GSDF, or Ground Self-Defense Force, will have 3,200 soldiers devoted to the brigade who specialize in countering terrorism and guerilla attacks.

Japan’s desire to effectively counter terrorism illustrates the aysemmetric nature of post-modern warfare. In other words, Japan is a relatively powerful state in terms of economic standards, yet it is still vulnerable to non-state actors such as terrorists groups.

 Japan is claiming primarily defensive motives for continually increasing military capabilities.  Because rogue actors such as terrorists do not fear being defeated, it is important that Japan create a defense force such as this to promote peace. Japan’s building arms to defend against terrorist groups is different from building them in defense to states because terrorists lack the funds to respond in kind. Rather, the more defense a country like Japan has to prevent terrorist attacks, the more likely the country will be safe. Therefore, Japan has made a relatively intelligent and peaceful move in the international arena.

Japan and Australia Seeking the Preservation of Peace through Liberal Politics

                         LIBERAL   POLITICS    

Source: http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200703140093.html

On Tuesday, March 13, Tokyo and Canberra (Australia’s capital city) agreed to a bilateral cooperation pact that is aimed at dealing with security issues such as those related with North Korea and terrorism.

The security pact agreed upon after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Australian Prime Minister John Howard met at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence. Termed the “Tokyo-Canberra Declaration”, this pact covers anti-terrorism measures, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and military cooperation between the two countries overseas. In addition, this pact ensures continued engagements between both Prime and Defense Ministers of Japan and Australia.

Previously, both Japan and Australia had created similar security pacts with the United States. Therefore by agreeing to this pact, Japan and Australia completed a triangular security alliance in the Pacific between the United States, Australia, and Japan.

Clearly, the Tokyo-Canberra Declaration is a product of liberal politics, seeking greater cooperation through institutions such as treaties and engagement between state leaders, rather than a radical approach to politics that would necessitate a power struggle between states.

Interestingly enough, Japan (currently), Australia, and of course the United States are all democratic states, and when viewed through the lense of the Democratic Peace Theory, are states that theoretically should never go to war with one another. Indeed, it is democratic states that are more likely to pursue liberal politics through methods such as creating treaties that promote greater cooperation between countries. Therefore, Japan and Australia are living up to the democratic ideal of cooperation and compromise, rather than resoring to the use of systematic violence in war to pursue international security policy.

Diplomat Michael Jackson: Wooing Japanese Fans

source: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1600092,00.html?xid=rss-world

Caption: Michael Jackson in Tokyo, March, 2007.

In the context of international politics, Celebrities are the bearers of pop culture and thus bind countries together by a common set of underlying assumptions, values, and viewpoints.

Of course, Michael Jackson is in no way a public authority on morality, yet he still is idolized by many in Japan simply because of his great music and fame.

Many fans in Japan were willing to pay high prices to spend no more than 30 seconds with Jackson in a private cubicle just to satisfy their longing to be with this pop-music giant.

Michael Jackson is currently touring Japan and has visited numerous places throughout the country, including Tokyo, where this photograph was taken. Tokyo hosts international music evens on any given weekend including all genres and is especially known for its Jazz performances and clubs.

Perhaps the Japanese’ appreciation of American music helps to bind the United States and Japan together in a way that political treaties can not. This is because common individuals are being exposed and wooed to American individualism and the opportunity to rise to great fame and popularity. Therefore, Michael Jackson is a living, breathing witness of American culture to the Japanese people. In Japan, Jackson wields an amount of soft power perhaps unmatched by any legitimate diplomat and therefore is worthy of mention in Japanese international politics.

The Security Delimma between Japan and North Korea

Source: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070308/kyodo/d8nntkh00.html

As the trend seems to be, Japan is once again seeking to increase its sovereignty relative to other states. Specifically, Japan wants to arm itself against the possibility that North Korea might carry out a missile strike against Japan.

In August of 1998, North Korea launched a missile over Japan that landed in the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps this event was N. Korea’s attempt to puff out its chest and prove to Japan that it could fight back. i.e. State B (N. Korea) was  just trying to show State A (Japan) that it could defend itself. Yet, as the Security Delimma is played out, as one may have guessed, State A sees State B’s arming of itself and must respond in kind.

Thus, Japan is doing just that by pushing for legislation that will now allow the  defense minister, in the case of a N. Korean missile attack, to use a new missile system that Japan is installing within its borders without the approval of the prime minister.

However, will State B not glance over at State A’s new installments and wince at the thought of being inferior again. Indeed, perhaps Japan’s move will only fuel the N. Korean’s desire to arm itself with even greater weapons. Yet, from a realist point of view, this is merely the inevitable way the game of international relations is played. On the other hand, if Japan and N. Korea could just get along and make agreements and mutual concessions… then the liberals would be overjoyed! As it is, all we have are State A and State B’s hegemonic big brother, the US, to make sure they “play nice”.

Co-op between Japan and India to promote development in SE Asia

Source: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/IC06Dh02.html

Both Japan and India are democratic states who share common goals of improving the impoverished conditions of SE Asia; yet both seem relatively inflexible in their political alignment structures.

While Japan has been heavily influenced by the United States since the end of WWII, especially with its US constructed pacifist policy, India has chosen the route of non-alignment. The result is that India can exert little influence in the international arena because of its neutrality. Japan, on the other hand, has its values and institutions in international affairs influenced by the United States’ foreign policy.

However, India and Japan do share common interests in making South East Asia a safer place for its inhabitants. Japan seeks to deter North Korean nuclear ambitions, while India holds concerns for the impoverished nations that characterize SE Asia. In addition, Japan is the world’s second leading contributor to foreign aid and has sent significant aid to Sri Lanka.

In recent years, Japan has supplied India with more efficient energy technologies and is promoting the spread of more efficient energy sources in developing countries. India would prove to be an important partner to Japan because of its status as a somewhat newly industrialized country. In addition, India is culturally similar to surrounding regions in SE Asia, unlike the US, and thus would be able to generate a more welcoming attitude towards Japanese development assistance. 

To achieve better cooperation, the Prime Ministers of Japan and India have meet several times in 2005 to build a trusting relationship between the two countries. By directing Japan’s economic power through India’s cultural connections, development in SE Asia may improve and perhaps even begin to balance China’s predominant position in Eastern Asia.

Japan Hesitant to Formally Apologize for Imperialism-Era Sex Offenses

Sources: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070302/ap_on_re_as/japan_sex_slaves_14;

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070304/ap_on_re_as/japan_sex_slaves_17

According to the articles, historians attest to the fact that during the 1930′s and 1940′s, about 200,000 Asian women served in Japanese military brothels. Accounts of abuse have been backed up by former Japanese military officers as well as the women themselves and other witnesses.

However, Prime Minister Abe denied the existence of proof for such practices in a recent statement on March 1: “The fact is, there is no evidence to prove there was coercion.”

Because of this denial, there were a number of outraged people in Asia who have evidence proving otherwise. Women’s rights activists in the Philippines and a group of lawmakers in South Korea denounced Abe’s remarks. The South Korean prime minister has said that anyone who doubts Japanese abuse should “face the truth”. These are all examples of the friction Abe’s statement generated denying the coercive practices.

The United States urged Japan to make formal apologies just as the US did to the Japanese-Americans whom were gathered into internment camps during World War II.  Abe eventually did agree to apologizing for the sex offenses on March 4 following the advice of Hiroshige Seko, special adviser in charge of Abe’s public relations.

It seems as if Japan is not wielding very much soft power in the global arena. Japan did not sign the North Korea pact because of the unrelated issue of abduction and is now viewed as a country that is hesitant to admit to its failure in the past. Prime Ministers such as Koizumi even have venerated war criminals at the Yasukuni war shrine. All of these issues are piling up to give Japan a bad reputation in Asia. Perhaps Japan’s best assets will remain its economy and the possibility of mobilizing its self-defense forces with greater freedom.

Conflict over Japanese Whaling with New Zealand and Australia

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070301/ap_on_re_as/antarctica_japan_whale_hunt_1

The Japanese are continuing to assert their commitment to whale hunting despite the criticism it is facing from New Zealand and Australia. One Japan fishing boat caught on fire while hunting whales near Antarctica and could have resulted in an ecological disaster. Nevertheless, the Japanese remain consistent in their stance of pro-whaling.

Their viewpoint comes from the belief that they are performing scientific research on whale populations, feeding habits, distribution of the mammals in the seas near Antarctica for the International Whaling Commission, an inter-governmental organization that promotes cooperation between countries throughout the world that hunt whales using scientific research. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Whaling_Commission)

 The International Whaling Commission is sanctioning the decision of the Japanese to hunt near Antarctica, despite fierce protesting in New Zealand and Australia. This demonstrates the ability of IGO’s to act as policemen between different countries when faced with differences in opinion over specific issues.