CHAPTER 2Japan’s Foreign Policy by Region |
1. |
Asia and Oceania |
The Asia and Oceania region is becoming increasingly important for Japan both economically and politically. The Asian emerging economies including China and India realized high growth rates of 6.9% in 2009 and 9.4% in 2010 (IMF World Economic Outlook estimate) after the global economic and financial crisis, and are pulling the world economy forward as “the growth center of the world.” The share of Asia and other emerging economies (the G20 members that are not members of the G8 and the European Union (EU)) in the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose from 15% to 28% over the decade ending in 2009, while the combined share of the G8 countries dropped from 68% to 53%. With this increase in relative economic importance, the political influence of emerging economies including Asian countries is rising and the global balance of power is shifting from a structure centered on the United States and other industrialized countries to a multi-polar structure that includes the emerging countries.
Although the Asia and Oceania region is experiencing such rapid development, it is fraught with unstable and uncertain factors. While issues including nuclear and missile development by North Korea are causing a major concern, struggles for natural resources have heightened tensions, and some countries are prone to pursue their own interests. The increasing uncertainty of the security environment surrounding Japan became clear especially in 2010.
The realization of a prosperous, stable and open Asia and Oceania region is indispensable for the peace, stability, and prosperity of Japan. To achieve this goal, Japan will further deepen and develop the Japan-U.S. alliance that has served as an essential public good for the stability and prosperity of the Asia and Oceania since the end of the Second World War. Japan will advance bilateral relations with neighboring countries, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, India and other partners, and will is also positively contribute to strengthening frameworks for regional cooperation. At the same time, Japan is working together with the U.S. and other concerned countries to share and develop the rules required for regional cooperation, since it is important that each country observe trade, maritime and other common international rules, and increase the transparency and predictability of its behavior to maintain regional stability and growth. Meanwhile, Japan continues to develop a proactive economic diplomacy under the New Growth Strategy, with an aim to grow together with Asia.
The Republic of Korea (ROK) is Japan’s most important neighboring country which shares democracy and other fundamental values with Japan. The year 2010 marked the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty, and Prime Minister’s statement was issued in August. Japan will continue making efforts to further strengthen future-oriented Japan-ROK relations.
On the Korean Peninsula, North Korea sank an ROK navy patrol vessel in March and shelled Yeonpyeong Island in November. In addition to these provocative actions, nuclear development by North Korea, which announced that it had developed a uranium enrichment program, poses a grave concern. In close coordination with the U.S., the ROK, and other countries concerned, Japan has strongly urged North Korea to take concrete actions toward achieving goals including denuclearization in accordance with the Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks and the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. Japan will continue such efforts. Concerning the abduction issue, Japan has repeatedly demanded that North Korea initiate a comprehensive investigation as agreed at the Japan-North Korea Working-Level Consultations in August 2008. Japan will continue working in close coordination with the countries toward a comprehensive resolution of the outstanding issues of concern, including the abduction issue.
Though Japan-China relationship became tease when a Chinese fishing trawler collided with two Japanese patrol vessels in Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in September, it has been improving again since the holding of the bilateral summit meeting and foreign ministers’ meeting during APEC Economic Leaders’ Meetings in Yokohama in November. While deepening the “Mutually Beneficial Relationship Based on Common Strategic Interests” as the world’s second and third largest economies, Japan and China must work to resolve varieties of issues between the two countries from a broader perspective. Meanwhile, China’s military buildup without sufficient transparency, and its increase of maritime activities are issues of concern. Japan will encourage China to play a more appropriate role as a responsible member in the international community with enhanced transparency.
Concerning the relationship with Mongolia, Japan will work to strengthen relations in various fields such as promoting economic ties with each other from the perspective of constructing the “Strategic Partnership,” which is shared by the two countries as a new diplomatic goal.
While the security environment of the Asia and Oceania region is getting unstable, the continued U.S. presence in this region remains important. Under the Obama Administration, the United States has been strengthening its engagement in the Asia-Pacific region, officially announcing to join the East Asia Summit (EAS) from 2011. Japan is striving to maintain the peace and prosperity of the Asia and Oceania region by firmly upholding, and further deepening and developing the Japan-U.S. alliance. It is important for Japan to strengthen ties with the Asia and Oceania countries including the ROK, Australia, India, and ASEAN which share values such as democracy. Japan will also maintain close coordination regarding regional and international situation through such frameworks as the Japan-U.S.-ROK and Japan-U.S.-Australia trilateral forums.
Japan has enjoyed a long history of friendly relations with ASEAN as an ASEAN dialogue partner. Japan believes it is important that ASEAN, where integration is proceeding, serve as a core of regional cooperation for the stability and prosperity of ASEAN itself, Japan, and the whole East Asian region. Based on this understanding, Japan attaches importance to Japan-ASEAN relations in developing regional cooperation and it is advancing cooperation with ASEAN while also working to strengthen bilateral relations with individual ASEAN countries.
Australia and New Zealand are important countries in the Asia and Oceania region that share fundamental values with Japan such as democracy and human rights. In particular, Japan and Australia contribute to regional prosperity through bilateral relations centered on economic relations. The two countries are also building up substantive cooperative relations as U.S. allies, and they are strengthening their strategic partnership for the peace and stability of the international community. Japan and Australia are playing a leading role in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation including co-hosting a foreign ministers’ meeting on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation as a new group of concerned countries from different parts of the world in September for the steady implementation of the action plan adopted at NPT Review Conference of May 2010. Japan is also working to maintain close cooperation with Australia and New Zealand at international negotiations concerning climate change.
Japan provides continuous assistance to Pacific Island countries that are important partners for Japan on the basis of the equal partnership concept. Japan needs to promote further cooperation with Pacific Island countries toward constructing an international framework in the area of climate change.
The presence of South Asian region, including India that continues high economic growth, has been on the rise in recent years. Japan has been strengthening its political and economic relations with this increasingly important region. In particular Japan aims to enhance and develop a “Strategic and Global Partnership” with India, covering wide-ranging fields, including security and economic cooperation. Japan also continues to provide support to Pakistan, which has a key role in counter-terrorism efforts, with a view of promoting for the peace and stability of South Asia and the entire international community.
n developing common rules for the region and addressing common regional issues, Japan will actively use frameworks for regional cooperation in East Asia such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN+3, and Japan-China-ROK cooperation, as well as frameworks with the broad participation of countries outside the region such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) together with bilateral approaches.
Regional cooperation frameworks also play important roles in resolving the common problems of the region, which include insufficient infrastructure, environmental issues, natural disasters, and development gaps. There were developments place under various regional frameworks in 2010, and Japan made active contributions to them.
The 17th ASEAN Summit held in October adopted the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, which aims at promoting integration and narrowing development gaps within ASEAN. At the 13th Japan-ASEAN Summit, Japan expressed its support for the ASEAN Connectivity initiative, and the two sides decided to initiate work on drafting a new “Declaration” and Plan of Action to guide Japan-ASEAN relations. The 2nd Japan-Mekong Summit held in October recognized the importance of upgrading both hard and soft infrastructure to enhance connectivity in the Mekong region, and confirmed the importance of cooperation in the fields of the environment and climate change.
From the perspective of strengthening ASEAN connectivity, together with the development of the Mekong, it is also important to focus on efforts by Southeast Asian countries to narrow development gaps, such as the Brunei Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) and the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT). Japan is striving to provide highly refined support through continuing dialogues concerning specific cooperation fields. At the 5th East Asia Summit (EAS) held in October, the formal participation of the U.S. and Russia from 2011 was decided. As Prime Minister Naoto Kan stated at the summit, while continuing ongoing work in the economic field, the EAS is also expected to further strengthen its efforts in the areas of political and security cooperation.
From the perspective of strengthening ASEAN connectivity, together with the development of the Mekong, it is also important to focus on efforts by Southeast Asian countries to narrow development gaps, such as the Brunei Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) and the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT). Japan is striving to provide highly refined support through continuing dialogues concerning specific cooperation fields. At the 5th East Asia Summit (EAS) held in October, the formal participation of the U.S. and Russia from 2011 was decided. As Prime Minister Naoto Kan stated at the summit, while continuing ongoing work in the economic field, the EAS is also expected to further strengthen its efforts in the areas of political and security cooperation.
Japan also served as the APEC chair in 2010. The 18th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting held in Yokohama in November deliberated a future vision for further growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, and adopted the APEC Leaders’ Declaration “The Yokohama Vision–Bogor and Beyond.”
Democracy is an important factor as a foundation for the stability and prosperity of the Asia and Oceania region. The Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) has been hosted by Indonesia each year since 2008 as an innovative approach to spreading democracy in the region. Japan has provided support and assistance for the BDF, and will continue to do so. At the 3rd BDF Ministerial Meeting in December, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara presented a policy address regarding democracy in Asia and Japan’s efforts entitled “Democracy in Diversity–Building on Asia’s Unique Strength”.
As introduced above, there are multiple frameworks for regional cooperation in East Asia centered on ASEAN, and they are all working to advance regional cooperation. Japan has proposed an “East Asian community” initiative as a long-term vision, and it is working to promote open and highly transparent regional cooperation step by step, in cooperation with the concerned countries, making use of existing frameworks.
While realizing high economic growth, the Asia and Oceania countries still face common regional problems such as insufficient infrastructure, environmental problems, natural disasters, and development gaps.
Japan faces domestic challenges such as the population decrease coupled with the aging and the decline in birthrate as well as fiscal deficits, Japan needs to work together with fast growing Asian countries, aiming at shared peace, stability and prosperity, to achieve its own development and growth. To this end, Japan will actively promote its economic diplomacy. Japan will continue to use its financing, technologies, knowledge and experience, in close cooperation with the private sector, to solve regional challenges such as insufficient infrastructure, and to contribute to the development of Asia, while connecting the Asian dynamism and growing demand to Japan’s own economic growth.