Hard-line policy backfires

Source:Global Times Published: 2012-8-21 0:15:03

 

Pro-China activists rally during an anti-Japan protest in Hong Kong on Saturday.Photo: AFP
Pro-China activists rally during an anti-Japan protest in Hong Kong on Saturday.Photo: AFP

Tensions between Japan and its two major Asian neighbors, China and South Korea, escalated recently on the 67th anniversary of the end of World War II amid the flare-up of territorial disputes and Japanese officials' visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.

Analysts say the repeated flare-up of such disputes, although stemming from the region's bitter history, were the results of Japanese politics leaning to the right, urging Tokyo to face up to history squarely and view regional geopolitical change with the right attitude.


Right-leaning 'root cause'

The recent spate of diplomatic rows came with Japan's leading right-wing figure and Tokyo governor, Shintaro Ishihara, announcing in April that he planned to purchase the Diaoyu Islands from private Japanese owners. Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda later announced that the Japanese government also plans to buy the Islands.

The moves irked China, which has repeatedly said that the Diaoyu Islands have been Chinese territory since ancient times.

Adding to regional tensions, Japan's territorial disputes with South Korea also heated up at the same time when South Korean President Lee Myung-bak paid a surprise visit to the disputed Dokdo Islands (known as Takeshima in Japan) in the last year of his five-year term.

Some commented that the exacerbation of the disputes can be attributed to the upcoming leadership change in the region, as leaders all want to show their tough stance on territorial issues to woo voters at home.

Japan's ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is to hold a leadership election next month as Noda's public support slumps. A general election is also due later this year in South Korea. Although Lee cannot run for election, his ruling party is under criticism at home over corruption scandals.

However, Liu Jiangyong, deputy director and professor at the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University, said such factors might in a way affect policies for a while, but Japan's strained relations with its neighbors were actually the result of a right-leaning political environment.

"The actions and words by some Japanese politicians on issues of history and territorial disputes over the years have largely aggravated conflicts between Japan and its neighbors. The political right-leaning in Japan is the root cause of the current situation," Liu said.

Nationalist politicians and right-wing activists in Japan have wielded an increasing amount of clout in recent years.

Ishihara, who once claimed that the Nanjing Massacre was "made up by China," was re-elected to a fourth term in 2011.

On August 15, the 67th anniversary of the end of World War II, two Japanese cabinet ministers paid visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, a place where 14 Japanese war criminals are honored and which is associated with Japan's past militarism and aggression.

The visits, sparking strong indignation from China and South Korea, were the first since the DPJ took power three years ago, although party leaders urged their members not to visit the shrine.

In May, four Japanese parliament members visiting the US demanded the removal of  a monument in a New Jersey public park dedicated to "comfort women," women forced to work in military brothels during Japan's aggression in World War II.


Lingering issues

"Japan has never really repented for its wrongdoings" of the past, the Korean Times newspaper said in an editorial on Friday.


"Such an attitude held by Japan in dealing with sensitive issues with neighboring countries will only alarm its neighbors and harden them on disputes with Japan as well," said Geng Xin, deputy director of the Tokyo-based Japan-China Communication Institute.

Lee's trip to Tokdo came after Japan's announcement of its plan to buy the Diaoyu Islands. Seoul last month also scrapped an expected signing of an intelligence-sharing deal with Tokyo.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said last week it would send two navy vessels to the disputed Kuril Islands (known as the Northern Territories in Japan) to honor Russian soldiers who died there after World War II.

"Japan's economic woes at home, which partially resulted from the financial crisis and the huge 2011 earthquake and tsunami, as well as the change in the regional geopolitical landscape, especially the rise of China, might have made it feel uneasy and influenced its view of its neighbors," Geng told the Global Times, noting that with China's rapid economic growth, Japan seemed to become more dependent on China economically.

In its annual defense paper released last month, Japan irked both China and South Korea by expressing concern over Chinese naval activity in the Pacific Ocean and reiterating its sovereignty over the disputed island between Tokyo and Seoul.

"Japan needs to be aware that when issues and frictions exist among countries in the region, seeking cooperation and not confrontation is even more necessary under such conditions," Geng said.

"Sensitive issues such as territorial disputes and history can easily become sensationalized between countries and among the public. Therefore, it is dangerous and wrong to either overestimate or underestimate the situation. Relevant nations have to deal with the issues for the benefit of the overall interests," he noted.

 



Posted in: Asia-Pacific

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