Supporting Southeast Asian Partners

Japanese Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida, agreed with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Pham Binh Minh, on providing with six vessels available for patrol boats at their meeting in Hanoi on Friday. Vietnam would use them for enhancing security against China. Japan is backing any country up, which may stand against the Asian Dragon. This is what “positive pacifism” of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is about.

Both foreign ministers made choral statements criticizing China of its assertive action in South and East China Sea. “Rule of law is indispensable for maritime peace and stability,” told Kishida. “Action that complicates situation should be refrained,” Pham followed Kishida. When China started drilling oil cell with one hundred ships around Paracel Islands on May, Vietnam had to face them with only thirty old ships. To meet the demand to enhance maritime security, Japan decided to support Vietnam’s effort.

As a pacifist nation, the government of Japan has been refraining from supporting military capability of other country as acts of overseas development aid. To meet that Japan’s demand, Vietnam separated the organization of marine police from military. Six vessels will be affiliated to that marine police. Not satisfied with this kind of support to other nations, Abe administration is reviewing guidelines for overseas development aid to make military supports possible.

Japan’s other targets for cooperation in Southeast Asia is Indonesia and Philippine. To Indonesia, Japan provided three new patrol vessels in 2007. Abe agreed with President of Philippine, Benigno Aquino, in providing with ten patrol vessels to Philippine. Philippine has dispute over sovereignty on Scarborough Shoal. Purpose of Japan to support those countries is obvious to every nation.

It is unclear whether such Japan’s efforts will work as deterrence against China. Most countries in Southeast Asia are economically dependent on China. Some countries are reluctant to support Japan’s military rebuilding, not to cause uneasy relationship with China. “Positive pacifism” of Abe sounds like containment for Southeast Asian nations.

If Japan keeps on supporting maritime stability in the region, it needs to generalize its effort. Explanation that it does not mean containing China is necessary to justify Japan’s own effort. However, Abe never says that he does not take containment policy against China, while others including United States always do. For that revisionist leader, appeasement may mean an intolerable defeat.