j-soft power weekly brief #22

7/31/2019 J-Soft Power Weekly Brief #22

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/j-soft-power-weekly-brief-22 1/6

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Editor’s NoteBy Rui Faro Saraiva PhD Candidate at Osaka School of International Public Policy

This weekly digest of news is supposed

to focus on the Japanese Foreign Policy

Soft Power dimension. Nevertheless

this week we underline a matter related

with pure domestic policies, like the

passing of the bills to double the

consumption tax rate, setting the stage

for a mass defection from the ruling

Democratic Party of Japan. Some

International Relations theories relate

the influence of domestic politics with

the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. The same is happening

when we consider Japan and its lack of

leadership. While observing Japanese

Soft Power assets, and I’m not referring

to Manga or Anime… but for example

how Japan implements its ODA (look

into Gemba’s pledge of 6 billion dollars

for ODA over the next 3 years), no

matter how much resources Japan

actually holds, it also needs a strong

leadership to strategically use and

implement those same resources. If PM

Noda some weeks ago reshuffled his

cabinet sacking some ministers, this

week Noda implemented a controversial

tax law at the cost of alienating one-fifthof his own party’s members of

parliament. 57 lawmakers in the ruling

Democratic Party of Japan voted no,

and former DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa

signaled he may leave the party. If he

takes more than 50 followers with him,

it could endanger the party’s majority.

Noda’s policy in this regard is trying to

face the huge nation’s debt, but the

result it is also a divided party, a divided

country, and a weak leadership. All of

t h i s w i l l p r o b a b l y a f f e c t t h e

implementation of Japanese Foreign

Policy, which is facing huge challenges

not only due to the current economic

stand of the country but also becauseof the power shift to Asia with wide

implications in the regional and global

order.

J-SOFT POWER

WEEKLY BRIEF Nº22

Photo of the week:

Prime Minister

Yoshihiko Noda,

center, and other

Cabinet ministers

stand after the bill

to raise the

consumption taxrate was approved

by the Lower

House on June 26.

(AJW Asahi)

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Crown prince visits school in

Thailand

“Crown Prince Naruhito, who is on a

w e e k l o n g t o u r t o T h a i l a n d ,

Cambodia and Laos, visited a

Japanese school in Bangkok on

Tuesday morning. Some of the

students waved Japanese national

flags as they welcomed the crownprince. The school, one of the

b iggest Japanese schools in

Thailand, has about 2,700 primary

and middle school students. On

Monday, the crown prince attended a

welcome ceremony and met with

Tha i Pr ime Min iste r Y ing luck

Shinawatra. He later visited the royal

palace and met with Thai King

Bhumibol Adulyadej..”

(Yomiuri)

Truman grandson to visit A-bombsites

“A grandson of Harry Truman, the

U.S. president who made the

decision to drop atomic bombs on

Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, is

expected to attend peace memorial

ceremonies in the two cities in

August for the first time, it has been

learned. (…) Daniel plans to visit

Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park

and Peace Memorial Museum on

Aug. 3. He is also scheduled to meet

with Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui

and atomic bomb victims before

a t t e n d i n g t h e c e r e m o n y t o

commemorate the U.S. bombing of

the city on Aug. 6, 1945. Daniel will

then travel to Nagasaki to attend a

peace ceremony to be held there on

Aug. 9. Sadako Legacy, which invited

Daniel to the ceremonies, is led by

Masahiro Sasaki. He is the brother of

Sadako Sasaki, a Hiroshima girl who

was 2 years old when the city wasbombed and died 10 years later. She

is known for her perseverance in

folding paper cranes as a prayer for

her recovery and was the inspiration

for the statue dedicated to children

killed by the atomic bomb located in

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

Daniel said he wanted to know how

the lives of those who were bombed

were affected by the U.S. decision to

use the nuclear weapon. He decided

to visit Japan to understand thehistorical event from the viewpoint of

the atomic bomb victims.”

(Yomiuri)

66% of Taiwanese say Japan ties

deepened since quake

“A recent poll shows 66 percent of

Taiwanese people fee l ties with

Japan have deepened since the

March 2011 ear thquake and

tsunami, the Taipei office of Japan's

Interchange Association has said.

After Taiwan offered Japan donationsand relief goods worth a total of

about 20 billion yen, among the

largest from any country or region in

the world, Japanese people held a

number of events in Taiwan to show

their appreciation for the support.

‘The poll results seem to indicate

Japan's gratitude for the disaster

support was well communicated to

people in Taiwan,’ said an official of

the Taipei office of the association,

which acts as the de facto Japanese

embassy in the country. The poll alsoshowed 51 percent of respondents

plan to refrain from traveling to Japan

for the time being. (…) Asked about

the foreign country or region they like

most in the world, 41 percent picked

Japan, far above the 8 percent

figures given as responses in both

China and the United States. Japan

also topped the Taiwan list in a

previous poll two years ago. The

survey, commissioned to a private

research firm, was conductedbetween Jan. 30 and Feb. 22,

covering 1,009 people aged in their

20s through their 80s.”

(Yomiuri)

National security clause must be

deleted from law on atomic energy

“An addition to the Atomic Energy

Basic Law stating that Japan's

nuclear energy should contribute tonat iona l secur i ty has s t i r red

controversy. The amendment has

fueled speculations about its true

aim. Some wonder whether the

interpretation of the clause could be

stretched to open the way for nuclear

weapons development. Others

question whether the clause is aimed

at underscoring the effectiveness of

the development and use of atomic

power for nuclear power plants and

other purposes. Japan's three non-nuclear principles of not producing,

not possessing and not introducing

nuclear weapons form the core of its

national policy, and the nation's

successive administrations have

ruled out the possibility of the country

developing such weapons of mass

destruction. The basic law limits

research, development and use of

atomic energy strictly to peaceful

purposes, championing democratic,

independent and public disclosure

principles. As such, one cannot helpbut wonder whether the national

security clause is aimed at changing

Japan's basic policy on nuclear

energy. (…) The Atomic Energy Basic

Law was amended by incorporating

the clause into the appendix in the

law on the establishment of a nuclear

regulatory panel, which was passed

into law on June 20. The clause was

not in the original government-

sponsored bill. However, the ruling

Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), thelargest opposition Liberal Democratic

Party (LDP) and New Komeito

subsequently agreed to modify the

bill and enact it as lawmaker-initiated

legislation. At the time, the clause in

question was incorporated into the

appendix at the request of the LDP.

(…) South Korea responded to the

inclusion of the clause in the basic

law by saying, "We will watch the

true intention behind the amendment

and its future impact," against the

backdrop of such a persisting idea in

Japan. (…) Moreover, a phrase

stating Japan's space development

must be limited to peaceful purposes

w a s d e l e t e d f r o m t h e L a w

Concerning the Japan Aerospace

E x p l o r a t i o n A g e n c y i n i t s

amendments on June 20. The fact

that legislation relating to national

security has been passed into law

without sufficient discussions amid

po l i t i ca l con fus ion ove r the

consumption tax hike has raisedgrave concerns.”

(Editorial - Mainichi Daily News)

Japan pledges 6 billion dollars in

ODA over next 3 years

“Japan will provide a total of 6 billion

dollars in official development

assistance over three years from

fiscal 2013, Foreign Minister Koichiro

Gemba said at the U.N. Conferenceon Susta inab le Development,

dubbed Rio+20. Through the aid, the

nation will help developing countries

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0 1 2 establish measures to minimize

damage from natural disasters and

introduce renewable energy. Gemba

said in a speech that Japan wishes

to share its disaster prevention

technologies and know-how with

developing countries to create

communities resistant to disasters.

Such knowledge was acquired from

the experience of the March 2011earthquake and tsunami, he added.

(…) He said Japan plans to send

about 10,000 experts to developing

countries over the next three years

to support their transition to a green

economy in which both economic

growth and environmental protection

are realized. A Japanese pavilion

was set up along the sidelines of the

Rio+20 conference to showcase the

country's reconstruction efforts after

the March 2011 disasters. In aseparate speech at the pavilion,

Gemba said the three hardest-hit

prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi and

Iwate are striving to overcome their

hardships so they can stand on their

own feet again. It is also Japan's duty

to share the nation's knowledge,

experience and the process of

reconstruction with the rest of the

world, Gemba said. At the facility,

local government officials from the

three Tohoku prefectures showed

video footage of their reconstruction

efforts. They also introduced local

dishes and sake to visitors.”

(Yomiuri)

Japan's lower house approves

doubling of sales tax

“Japan's lower house voted Tuesday

to double the country's sales tax to

10 percent over three years in a bid

to rein in a bulging national debt as

an aging population burdens the

country's social security system. The

vote, however, shook Prime Minister

Yoshihiko Noda's grip on power

because of strong opposition from a

group within the ruling party led by

power broker Ichiro Ozawa that

believes the tax hike will weaken the

economy. Ozawa and his supporters

have threatened to bol t the

Democratic Party over the tax issue.

The bill passed easily by a vote of

363-96, with support coming fromthe two biggest opposition parties.

The bill must still pass the less

powerful upper house to become

law, which is expected. It calls for

raising the sales tax from 5 percent to

8 percent in 2014, and then to 10

percent in 2015.”

(FOX News)

Japan to Boost Defense in Pacific,

Minister Says

“Japan's new defense minister saidthe government is preparing to

enhance its air and sea defense

capabilities to protect islands and

waters in the nation's southwest, part

of the broad swath of the western

Pacific where China has increased its

maritime activities in recent years. (…)

Mr. Morimoto also said one of his

priorities as defense minister is to

push for policies that will strengthen

the bilateral alliance with the U.S.

"The most important task for peoplewho think about Japan's national

security and build its policy is making

the alliance even more reliable," he

said. Mr. Morimoto brings to the

embattled government of Prime

M i n i s t e r Y o s h i h i k o N o d a a

combination of a nonpolitical résumé

and first-class knowledge of national

security that has generated rare

excitement among the public. He

also comes with unapologetically

hawkish views on how Japan should

protect itself amid rising geopoliticaltensions in East Asia.”

(Wall Street Journal)

Philippines Foreign Secretary to visit

Japan

“Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del

Rosario will embark on his first official

working visit to Japan this week at

the invitati on of his Japanese

counterpart Foreign Minister Koichiro

Gemba, the Department of Foreign

Affairs (DFA) said today. (…) ‘Bothforeign ministers will discuss vital

issues relating to bilateral economic

relations, cooperation in the field of

maritime security, the Mindanao

peace process, as well as regional

issues such as regional security and

cooperation,’ the DFA said. Apart

from the bilateral meeting with

Gemba, Del Rosario will also call on

Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya

Okad a and meet with Japan

International Cooperation Agency(JICA) President Akihiko Tanaka and

officials of the Japan-Philippines

Parliamentarian Friendship League

(JPPFL), among others, to discuss

the advancement of bilateral relations

and exchange views on issues of

common interest.”

(PhilStar.com)

Japan makes deal with Russia to

reduce reliance on Middle East oil

“An agreement between Japan and

Russia to jointly develop a Siberian oil

field is expected to accelerate



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expansion of crude oil procurement

from that country and help diversify

Japan's supply of energy resources.

Japan relies on the Middle East for

more than 90 percent of crude oil

imports. Japan Oil, Gas and Metal

Nat ional Corp. and Russia's

Gazprom Neft announced last week

they would develop an oil field in

eastern Siberia, a region believed tohave abundant natural reserves. The

oil field is expected to yield of tens of

thousands of barrels a day, is

equivalent to 1 to 2 percent of

Japan's total crude oil imports. The

Japanese company is conducting

research in other parts of eastern

Siberia with the aim of development

agreements with other companies.’”

(Reuters)

Japan, South Korea, U.S. mustconsolidate security cooperation

“Bolstering cooperation between

Japan and South Korea, the weakest

link in the triangular relationship

between Japan, the United States

and South Korea, is certain to solidify

security cooperation between the

three countries and make it more

multilayered. The Maritime Self-

Defense Force and the navies of the

United States and South Koreaconducted a full-dress joint exercise

on Thursday and Friday in the Yellow

Sea off the southern coast of the

Korean Peninsula. (...) Although joint

war games have been carried out

frequently between Japan and the

United States, or between the United

States and South Korea, combined

exercises have rarely taken place

between Japan and South Korea.

Th is is ma inl y beca use Seou l,

apparently mindful of anti-Japanese

public sentiment linked to Japan's

past colonization of the Korean

Peninsula, has been reluctant to hold

military exercises with Tokyo. A

significant turning point, however,

was the March 2010 sinking of a

South Korean Navy ship in a torpedo

attack blamed on North Korea. There

was a surge in support for more

cooperation between Japan and

South Korea as demonstrated, for

instance, by the participation of SDF

personnel as observers in joint U.S.-South Korea exercises.”

(Yomiuri)

Japan, Vietnam to fight China’s

control of rare earths

“The world’s electronics and

automobile producers have been

chafi ng under Ch in a’s t rade

restrictions on its virtual monopoly on

the global supply of rare earth

minerals, and Japan and Vietnam aremoving to fight back. China currently

controls about 90 percent of the

world’s supply of rare earths, which

are minerals vital to the manufacture

o f m o d e r n e l e c t r o n i c s a n d

automotive parts, and Japan

currently imports 60 percent of what

China produces, which means Japan

has felt the pinch of China’s

tightening trade restrictions more

than any other country. Japan has

found an ally in Vietnam, a countrythat is thought to have vast reserves

of rare earths, which it is eager to

exploit. Last March, Japan, the

European Union, and the U.S. filed

an official complaint with the World

Trade Organization (WTO) on China’s

rare earth trade restrictions. China

claims that it only limits exports due

to the considerable environmental toll

of processing the minerals. The

plaintiffs in the WTO complaint feel

that the real reason for the

restrictions is to force foreign

companies to relocate their lucrative

manufacturing facilities to China,

where they are promised a more

stable supply of the vital minerals.”

(Japan Daily Press)

Korea, Japan set to sign their first

military agreement

“On a positive note, South Korea

and Japan are set to conclude their

first ever military agreement, a

Genera l Secu r i t y o f M i l i t a r y

Information Agreement (GSOMIA)

that would allow the two countries to

share intelligence on North Korea.

Japan’s got six Aegis destroyers and

10 early earning aircraft, and South

Korea’s got tons of HUMINT, so it

seems like a win-win. The Chosun

Ilbo notes, however, that some civic

groups and the political opposition

aren’t so keen on it, both due toJapan’s failure to deal with its past

and fear of dividing Asia into two

camps with China-Russia-North

Korea on one side and the United

States, South Korea and Japan on

the other.”

(Robert Koehler – The Marmot Hole)

Seismologists warn Japan against

nuclear restart

“Two prominent seismologists saidon Tuesday that Japan is ignoring the

safety lessons of last year 's

Fukushima crisis and warned against

restarting two reactors next month.

(...) Experts advising Japan's nuclear

industry had underestimated the

seismic threat, Mitsuhisa Watanabe,

a tectonic geomorphology professor

at Tokyo University, said at the same

news conference. (…) After an

earthquake in 2007 caused radiation

leaks at reactors north of Tokyo,Ishibashi said Japan was at risk of a

nuclear disaster following a large

earthquake, a warning that proved

prescient after Fukushima. While it is

imposs ib l e to p red i c t when

earthquakes will happen, Ishibashi

said on Tuesday the magnitude 9

quake last year made it more likely

"devastating" earthquakes would

follow.”

(Reuters)

Japanese politician and businessman

get Mexican honor

“Japanese lawmaker Hidenao

Nakagawa and Nissan Motor

Company honorary chairman Itaru

Koeda were awarded the Order of

the Aztec Eagle, Mexico's highest

honor for foreigners, on Tuesday, the

Mexican Embassy said. (...) The work

of Nakagawa and Koeda have

contributed to helping Japan and

Mexico enjoy a relationship that is

"dynamic and looks toward the

future," taking advantage of the

growing potential of the Asia-Pacific

region, Heller said in a statement.

The intense exchanges of the past

few years have helped strengthen

bilateral relations, Nakagawa, who is

chairman of the Mexico-Japan

Parliamentary Friendshp Federation,

said. The Japanese lawmaker said

he would continue to promote

cooperation between the countries.”

(Fox News Latino)

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Japan’s response to China’s rise

“For several decades, the Japanese have been concerned about

China’s rise, but in 2010 they became especially worried. Several

events in that year, including a clash between a Chinese fishing boat

and the Japanese coastguard in the disputed Senkaku Islands,

made the Japanese think that China was becoming more assertive

and, potentially, aggressive. By the end of 2010, Japanese officials,

experts and politicians had responded with a new strategy –

involving the creation of more mobile forces, a renewed emphasis on

the US alliance and an attempt to strengthen ties with other Asian

maritime powers. (…) The Japanese officials who deal with Beijing

believe that many Chinese diplomats would welcome a

rapprochement with Japan. After all, this year is the 40th anniversary

of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

(...) However, Japanese officials do not expect a significantly warmer

relationship with Beijing, for two reasons. First, these days China’s

Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to have little clout within the

Chinese system. Government departments such as the NationalDevelopment and Reform Commission, as well as state-owned oil

companies, the PLA and the Communist Party of China, often count

for much more. Some of these bodies could gain through a more

assertive approach leading to confrontation with Japan: the PLA

navy could more easily justify budget increases, whereas the oil

companies could boost their chances of drilling in disputed parts of

the East China Sea. Second, Japanese officials believe that the

nationalism of Chinese ‘public opinion’ – as expressed through the

blogosphere – is powerful enough to deter the country’s leaders

from seeking compromises on territorial disputes with neighbours.

(…) The Japanese worry about China’s military build-up. Last year,

Japan’s National Institute for Defence Studies produced the first of

what has now become a series of annual reports on China. (…)

From 2001 to 2010, China’s defence budget rose in real terms by

189 per cent. Over the same period Japan’s rose by 1.7 per cent.

On current trends, China’s defence budget will be five times bigger

than that of Japan by 2020. (…) Many Japanese officials and

experts would like a closer relationship with South Korea. But that

country’s leaders have been reluctant to respond. This may be

because they have to consider South Korean public opinion, which,

because of memories of Japanese imperial rule and arguments over

disputed islands, tends to be suspicious of the Japanese. (…) The

essence of Japan’s strategy towards China is, like that of the US, to

engage and hedge. The Japanese want to ‘socialise’ China by

drawing it into a more active role in the institutions of global and

regional governance. (…) Defence experts worry that budgetary

constraints may prevent Japan from implementing the new nationaldefence programme guidelines. (...) If, as seems likely, the economic

imbalance between China and Japan becomes more pronounced,

the Japanese will become more dependent on the Americans. If the

US was to pull out of East Asian security, Japan might have no

choice but to accept ‘Finlandisation’: Japan would run its own

affairs, as Finland did during the Cold War, but its leaders would feel

unable to criticise Beijing or oppose its foreign policy. (…) Friendly

relations between China and Japan are evidently in both their

interests. But in Tokyo there is real concern that the increasing self-

confidence of Chinese leaders, the widening number of institutions

with a say in Chinese foreign policy, the growing hunger for oil and

gas, and the rising power of nationalist netizens could tilt China

towards a confrontational relationship.”

(Charles Grant – CER)

How Can We Stop the Suppression in Syria?

“A Jordanian specialist has said that the truth of the current situation

in Syria may lie somewhere between the news distributed by the

international Arabic media and that related by the Syrian government

media. As this comment clearly suggests, it is difficult to know what

is going on inside Syria and to assess the power and influence of the

Assad regime and the anti-regime movement on the Syrian people.Since March 2011, when large-scale anti-regime popular

demonstrations began, the government media have not

acknowledged the existence of those demonstrations. They have

consistently claimed that the Syrian people are satisfied with the

regime's reform efforts, and have attributed the confrontation to an

invasion by foreign armed terrorists. The international media, on the

other hand, have stood with the anti-regime movement and

emphasized its determination to overcoming oppression by the

regime. The discourse from neither side can be trusted absolutely. It

is improbable that foreign terrorists could create such tremendous

confusion that thousands of people would flee to neighboring

countries if the people truly supported the regime. At the same time,

if the anti-regime movement were capable of mobilizing the huge

numbers of people that the international media is reporting, the

Assad regime might already have been forced to make major

concessions. (…) As part of international efforts, Japan supports the

refugees and the Syrian people. In addition to that, I think that it is

possible for Japan to contribute to unification of the anti-regime

movements by cooperating with Turkey, which has close relations

with them. In approaching the Assad regime, Japan might urge Iran,

Russia and China, which have relatively good relations with the

regime, to force it to agree to a ceasefire. Through different

channels, Japan should help stabilize Syria and the Middle East, a

region critical for Japan, but in any case, primary consideration

should be given to the security of ordinary people and their day-to-

day safety. This is, I believe, the soundest way to establish stability

and democracy, as naïve as this may sound.”

(Teruaki Moriyama – AJISS-Commentary)

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Mr. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, to

Attend the United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development (Rio+20)

[http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/event/

2012/6/0619_01.html]

Japan-Turkey Foreign Ministers' Meeting

[http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/middle_e/turkey/

meeting1206_fm.html]

"Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and

Youths" Soccer Exchanges between five ASEAN Nations

[http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/event/

2012/6/0615_02.html]

Istanbul Statement of the Foreign Ministers of Non-

Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative [http://

www.mofa.go.jp/policy/un/disarmament/arms/

npdi_4th_Statement.html]

Japan-Belgium Foreign Ministers' Meeting

[http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/

2012/6/0612_01.html]

Statement by the Press Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

of Japan on a series of terrorist attacks in Iraq [http://

www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2012/6/0614_01.html]

Hosting by Japan of PSI (Proliferation Security Initiative) Air

Interdiction Exercise "Pacific Shield 12" [http://

www.mofa.go.jp/announce/event/2012/6/0613_01.html]

J-SOFT POWER WEEKLY BRIEFEditor: Rui Faro Saraiva

Assistant Editor: Eduardo Passos

Assistant Editor: Seiko Sakuragi

Osaka, Japan • Editor’s mailbox:

[email protected]

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J-SOFT POWERWEEKLY BRIEF covers news or other

articles related with Soft Power in the context of the

Japanese Foreign Policy. The opinions expressed are

solely those of the authors and do not necessarily

reflect the views of JFPO.

J APAN FOREIGNPOLICY OBSERVATORY (JFPO)HTTP:// WWW.JAPANFPO.ORG /

MOFA

UPDATE

http://www.japanfpo.org/

http://www.japanfpo.org/

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/event/2012/6/0613_01.html%5D




http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2012/6/0614_01.html%5D








http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/un/disarmament/arms/npdi_4th_Statement.html%5D










http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/middle_e/turkey/meeting1206_fm.html%5D








j-soft power weekly brief #22

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