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6 December 1994

Overview of the situation

Although there has been a great reduction in the possibility of global warfare in today's international community, we still face a variety of challenges including regional conflicts and the issue of non-proliferation and we are in the process of creating a ../general order which will replace the Cold War bipolar axis between East and West. Against that background, diverse efforts are being made both in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific towards the establishment or further expansion of multinational relations of cooperation based on mutual interdependence.

Security policy in the Asia-Pacific

In the Asia-Pacific region, there is great diversity including differences in the threat perceptions and social structure of each country. Furthermore, this area of the world has not experienced the type of historical process of regional bipolar opposition which existed in Europe during the Cold War. In recent years, the Asia-Pacific region, too, has seen the matters of common concern emerging, and this has served as the background for movements towards region-wide dialogue and cooperation (multilateralism) in this region. However, these movements must be grasped in the context of the historical path which the Asia-Pacific region has traveled. Therefore, at least for the interim, organizing a comprehensive region-wide security regime cannot be a realistic objective, and it is not appropriate to have such an aim, either.

For the security of this region, it is important to proceed simultaneously and steadily with multiple measures, and the movements towards multilateralism seen in recent years can be construed as one facet of such a comprehensive policy.

For the peace and stability of this region, it is most important that the presence and engagement of United States forces, which is an essential stabilizing factor of the region, be maintained. This recognition is shared by most of the countries in the region. At the same time, the Japan-U.S. Security Arrangements have an important significance in supporting the presence of United States forces, and Japan will continue its cooperation with the United States, including assistance in the form of host nation support.

Based on the premise of such presence and engagement of United States forces, it is also important to proceed in parallel with the following types of efforts:

1. First of all, the promotion of bilateral and/or subregional cooperation, aiming to solve individual conflicts and confrontations. The most effective way to solve the existing conflicts is to seek an appropriate response by those countries which have their own interests therein, rather than by a region-wide framework such as the ASEAN Regional Forum at least for now.
2. Secondly, the promotion of region-wide political and security dialogues, including the ASEAN Regional Forum, is important for the purpose of enhancing mutual reassurnce. This reflects the fact that, in the Asia-Pacific region, common security concerns are coming together on a regional level, and what is aimed at in the dialogue is, for the interim, the enhancement of mutual understanding among the countries concerned and transparency in their respective policies. The ASEAN Regional Forum had a good start in July, and in the future, deepening of political and security dialogues and the formation of concrete regional cooperation for security will be on its agenda. However, an important point is that even such progress in the ASEAN Regional Forum should be construed as complementing the Japan-U.S. Security Arrangements and other extant bilateral security arrangements in the Asia-Pacific, not as replacing them.
3. Third is the promotion of economic cooperation to increase political and social stability in the countries of the region. In this regard, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum would be able to play an important role.

APEC is a framework for dialogue to promote economic development in the Asia-Pacific region. At the Summit and the Ministerial Meeting last November, a general direction towards the liberalization of trade and investment in the region was set forth and, in light of the gap in the stages of development among the countries in the region, the importance of development cooperation such as expanded human resources development was pointed out. Such cooperation in the economic field has a significant meaning for stability in the region as well. Japan, as the chair country for APEC next year, will buckle down to those challenges.

Message to Europe

As the Envoy of the Government of Japan, I would like to express the following two points to the Member States of the CSCE.

First of all, the direction of multilateralism, both in Asia and in Europe, must never swerve into closed regionalism. Asia-Pacific and Europe are linked by diverse factors, including the fact that each is straddled on either side by the great powers of the United States and the Russian Federation, the deepening relations of interdependence along with economic growth in both Asia-Pacific and Europe, and increasingly serious issues of global concern such as non-proliferation; and movements in either Asia-Pacific or Europe have no small influence on events in the other. It is important that efforts in both Europe and Asia-Pacific be advanced while consideration is constantly given to what kind of influence these efforts exert on other regions. For example, the participation of the European Union at the ASEAN Regional Forum has been secured, and Japan has been reporting to the CSCE on the situation in the Asia-Pacific, and I am sure that these developments hold important meaning for both Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

Secondly, it can be said that the Asia-Pacific region as well is now begining truly region-wide security dialogue and, in that sense, a certain dimension similar to that of Europe is emerging in this region. However, there is a wide gap between the historical background of Europe and that of the Asia-Pacific. Therefore, neither Europe nor Asia-Pacific should impose on the other side measures implemented on its own side. There is a need for us to learn each other based on a full understanding on this point.