Meiji-style thinking outdated

Japan will be the loser if it fails to heed the lessons of the past and dares to revive its military expansion nowadays

In the mid-19th century, a sense of national crisis arose in East Asia, as the traditional Sino-centric sphere of order was challenged by Western powers such as the United Kingdom. Japan's diplomatic strategy in Asia was closely related to its outlook on China, and this crisis prompted an about-face in its outlook toward its neighbor.

In the early days of the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912), Confucianism lost favor and followers in Japan, as it was viewed as inferior to the "real learning" of the West. Despite debates about Confucianism and total Westernization in the early period, Japan's rising strength and political and military ambitions allowed ultranationalism to emerge from the wave of nationalism, which then served as spiritual guidance for the Meiji government to embark on its invasion of Asia.

With the signing of Sino-Japan Friendship Treaty in 1871, the Japanese Emperor finally gained equal footing with his Chinese counterpart for the first time in history.

But equal as the treaty was, Japan had no intention of addressing the Western threats with its neighbor. Instead it erroneously believed that the best way to resist the imperialist powers was to become one itself. This stark contradiction was characterized by aggressive expansionism and standing up to the intruding Western powers.

The former led to the Japanese aggression toward China and the Korean Peninsula, while the latter required Tokyo to unite its Asian neighbors. On the one hand, Japan craved enrollment in the capitalist world by yielding to the Western powers with greater military power; on the other, its tireless efforts to establish a "new" Asian order posed a grave challenge to many Western powers' interests in Asia.

Aside from sheer military power, the aggression launched by the Meiji government was also cloaked under the justifications of international laws and the veneer of a civilized society. Those Asian countries refusing to meet any of Japan's groundless requirements, such as signing unequal treaties, were labeled "barbarian".

Fukuzawa Yukichi, an important Japanese thinker in Meiji times, used to categorize Japan as a "civilized" country, China as a "semi-civilized" one and Korea as a totally "barbaric" society. Such a distortion of the Sino-centric sphere of order eventually led Japan to launch its large-scale invasion in Asia, and ultimately its defeat in WWII.

After winning a war against China in 1894 and a war against Russia in the early 20th century, Japan blatantly revealed its militarist expansion in Asia, and the "new order" and "co-prosperity" it vigorously agitated brought nothing but endless misery to East Asian nations. From uniting and reforming to annexing Asian states, Japan's gradual expansion and Asia policy exactly synchronized with the growth of Japan's military power and the increasing weakness of China's Qing government, which eventually collapsed in 1911.

Worshiping extreme utilitarianism while implementing a "continental" policy and "oceanic" strategy, modern Japan was dedicated to maximizing its national interests in Asia regardless of international laws. Now, 120 years after the First Sino-Japan War, the Abe administration has opened Pandora's box by claiming the right of collective right of defense. This not only allows Japan to go to the aid of its allies if they are attacked, it also enhances the US-Japan military alliance which poses great danger to the stability in the Asia-Pacific.

With its booming economy and rising political status in the international community after WWII, Tokyo now brazenly seeks to relive its militarist past to get rid of the restrictions placed by the allied nations on Japan as a defeated fascist power in WWII.

More importantly, Tokyo once again seeks to be the leader in Asia and is attempting to contain the rise of China by challenging it with groundless territorial accusations, along with some Asian countries such as the Philippines.

However, China is much stronger than it was 120 years ago, and Asia is unlikely to be at a single power's disposal. China as a responsible emerging power has been actively contributing to regional stability and prosperity, such as pushing for the Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and the BRICS development bank.

Tokyo should keep in mind that its rise in late 19th century and downfall in WWII were all due to the wars it provoked, and Japan as a whole will surely be the loser if it dares to revive military expansion nowadays.

The author is a researcher in Japanese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.