Hope Japan gets the message

Japan is going through a turbulent summer, which is reflected in its domestic political disorder, intensifying territorial disputes with neighboring countries, and the tough stands Russia, the Republic of Korea and China have taken in their territorial disputes with Japan.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev landed on Kunashir Island (part of the disputed islands known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia but as the Northern Territories in Japan) on July 3, and ROK President Lee Myung-bak visited the Dokdo Island (called Takeshima Island in Japan) on Aug 10 to reiterate the ROK's sovereignty over the island. And on Aug 19, the ROK unveiled a monument on Dokdo to commemorate the visit.

On Aug 17, Japan released the 14 Chinese nationals who were arrested after landing on one of the Diaoyu Islands on Aug 15. Though Beijing's diplomatic efforts had a big role to play in Tokyo's decision, it showed Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's tactics are different from that of his predecessor Naoto Kan.

But more than 150 Japanese right-wing activists, including eight members of parliament, landed on China's Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea on Aug 19. This gross violation of China's sovereignty has infuriated Chinese people.

There has been another positive development, though. Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Japan's senior vice-minister of foreign affairs, is reportedly scheduled to visit Beijing this week to discuss the Diaoyu Islands issue with the Chinese government.

So why is Japan at loggerheads with nearly all its neighbors?

First, after the end of World War II, Japan did not delve deep into its conscience to review historical issues. As a result, Japan's neighbors cannot fully trust it. Though the Japanese government and senior officials have apologized for their historical atrocities many times, most of their apologies have not been sincere. For example, two Japanese cabinet ministers visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Aug 15 on the 67th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, reflecting many Japanese politicians' ambivalence when it comes to historical issues.

Some even believe Japan had to go to war to counter other countries' atrocities against Japanese and end anti-Japanese activities in China. With this mentality and view of history, some high-ranking Japanese officials and scholars, and even ordinary people often deny Japan's history of aggression. This is totally different from Germany's introspection on and comprehensive criticism of its Nazi past.

Second, territorial disputes between Japan and China and between Japan and the ROK are the result of Japan's colonial aggression toward these countries. Japan refuses to reflect on this period of its history. How can the countries that once suffered the horrors of Japanese aggression trust Japan?

Japan and Russia both strived to establish their hegemony in Northeast Asia in the past. As a country that surrendered unconditionally in World War II, Japan had to pay severe penalties and lost control of the Northern Territories. This is a pain that Japan probably had to face.

Third, Japan's scramble for neighboring countries' islands will lead to stern countermeasures from China, the ROK and Russia. Japan's policies and strategies risk the possibility of conflicts to a degree it does not know and will not be able to mitigate.

In dealing with the territorial disputes, the only country Japan can bank on is the United States. But can the US really help Japan at a crucial moment?

The first and last point of the US foreign policy is its own interests, rather than that of Japan. The US is willing to help Japan on issues in which the two countries have common interests.

To contain China's peaceful rise, the US is eager to help Japan improve its ability to confront China. In the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, the US tends to support Japan, mainly because it thinks China is not strong enough and Washington's tactics are safe for now. But this is only an illusion that the US suffers from.

Will the Japan-ROK military alliance being promoted by the US do any good to the two neighbors? On the surface, the alliance will enhance Japan-ROK mutual assistance and, coupled with the US, it will become very powerful. But, in fact, such a military alliance will not only fail to improve security in Northeast Asia, but also risk an even bigger confrontation, which the ROK is not ready to face, because it is targeted at three countries: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, China and Russia.

Such US efforts will inevitably strengthen Sino-Russian military cooperation and bring the two countries closer. The US is not a Northeast Asian country and can pull out of the region in an emergency. But sitting at the forefront of Northeast Asia, Japan and the ROK are bound to bear the brunt of the shockwaves that serious conflicts would create. Therefore, over-dependence on the US is one of Japan's silliest diplomatic strategies.

In the Diaoyu Islands dispute, China and Japan both have lodged strong protests against each other. Though China insists any punishment meted to the Chinese nationals who landed on one of the Diaoyu Islands by Japan is illegal, it has to concede that the Noda administration exercised restraint in dealing with the incident. It was different from Naoto Kan's hard-line tactics in dealing with Chinese fishermen whose trawler collided with Japan Coast Guard vessels in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands in 2010.

Many Japanese criticized the country's right-wing activists for landing on the Diaoyu Islands. As to the right-winger's paying respects to Japan's war dead on the Diaoyu Islands on Aug 18, the families of some war dead said they refused to be used as political fodder by politicians. Hence, it is clear that right-wing politicians do not represent all Japanese people.

For China, the Diaoyu Islands issue poses a big challenge. China has never provoked Japan. Its actions have been defensive in nature, aimed at safeguarding its interests. Actions to assert China's claim to the Diaoyu Islands should be rational. Once patriotism turns into blind nationalism, it will act as fuel for the right wing in Japan and may cause the situation to spin out of control. Since neither government wants to be kidnapped by blind nationalism, it is better that they maintain positive interaction with their public and prevent the situation from worsening.

The author is a professor at the Institute of International Relations, affiliated to China Foreign Affairs University.

(China Daily 08/22/2012 page9)