Japanese Leader against US Interests

Adding to China and South Korea, the United States joined the concerted efforts on condemning Japanese Prime Minister of insisting his own views as a nationalist. “Comments and actions on controversial historical issues by Prime Minister Abe and his cabinet have raised concern that Tokyo could upset regional relations in ways that hurt U.S. interests,” described a report of the Congressional Research Services delivered early this month. Abe seems to have begun to explain his attitude, but his standpoint is not clear enough. Japan’s diplomacy is deteriorating, while a naïve nationalist leader is messing around.

The report introduces Abe’s position as a revisionist view of Japanese history, while changing the interpretation of Japan’s pacifist constitution to allow for Japanese participation in collective self-defense are largely welcomed. It also listed political activities of Abe administration as threats to destabilize regional relations, which include the visit to Yasukuni Shrine by ministers and lawmakers, and not reaffirming the Murayama Statement in 1995. In the form of quotations from many analysts, the report criticized Abe’s re-ascension as inflaming regional relations, “which could disrupt regional trade integration, threaten security cooperation among U.S. allies, and further exacerbate already tense relations with China.”

There actually are some skeptical points in its analysis. One of them is welcoming Abe’s assertion on constitutional amendment. His vision toward the amendment is not mainly enhancing US-Japan alliance, but based on revisionist view about post-war history, in which he denies the legitimacy of the Constitution as unwillingly vested by US. Approving the amendment by US immediately means encouraging Abe’s revisionist stand point, from which his aggressive attitude against China or South Korea stems.

The report, nevertheless, reflects overall concern of US toward Japan. In Op-Ed pages, Washington Post criticized his attitude as “self-destructive revisionism,” labeling Abe unable to face history. “Why, decades after Germany solidified its place in Europe by facing history honestly, are facts so difficult for some in Japan to acknowledge?” commented Post. “[I]t seems especially foolhardy for Japan to inflame hostilities with China and South Korea when all countries need to be working cooperatively to resolve problems with North Korea and its nuclear program,” said New York Times.

For US to play a big game with China in Asia-Pacific region, Japan is becoming an unstable variable just as North Korea for China. Although Abe refers to the significance of Japan-US relationship, it would be wise for US to be careful about his rigorous revisionism.