By Design or Accident: Reflections on Asian Security

25. China, Japan Must Meet and Talk More

25 China, Japan Must Meet and Talk More The Sino-Japanese quarrel is not just about history. It is part of a deadly serious contest between the two countries for power and influence in the Asia of the 21st century. From the mid-1970s, after China and Japan re-established diplomatic relations, till the late 1980s bilateral relations were reasonably amicable. But Sino-Japanese rivalry emerged in the 1990s, after the end of the Cold War. The disappearance of the Soviet Union removed a common enemy. The rise of China in the 1990s posed complex challenges for Japan which has been the leading Asian power for the previous half-century. The advance of nationalism in both countries did not help either. China’s new nationalism in the early 1990s, designed to shore up the legitimacy of communist party rule in an era when socialist ideology had lost its appeal, was based in part on glorifying the role of the party in defeating the much hated imperial Japanese army in China during World War II. But China’s constant hectoring of Japan about the latter’s war time atrocities only stiffened Japanese attitudes. In such an atmosphere various incidents — whether concerning history, reported Chinese naval intrusions into China, Japan Must Meet and Talk More 105 Japanese waters or territorial disputes — began to acquire greater salience. Acrimony and public opinion hardened on both sides. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has kept his election campaign commitment of five years ago to visit theYasukuni shrine regularly.Among the more than two million Japanese war dead, the shrine also honours fourteen class A war criminals. So, in the process, Mr Koizumi has put himself into a straight jacket. The visits could be damaging to Japan’s international standing, especially at a time when it wants to become a more “normal” power with a stronger military. But Mr Koizumi is not stopping his visits in part because he is determined not to be seen to be bowing to China’s pressure. Indeed some well wishers of Japan wonder why Japan is shooting itself in the foot in this way. Over the past half century, through its aid and investments, Japan has contributed enormously to the economic development and modernisation ofAsia, including Southeast Asia, much more than China. It still continues to do so. Yet it is not getting commensurate returns in terms of political influence. In recent years China’s influence has grown significantly and is threatening to eclipse Japan’s. Some observers maintain that Japan’s ineptitude partly accounts for this state of affairs. Tokyo, they argue, does not know how to meet the growing competition from China in Asia. While China comes out as a sophisticated operator which has thought through the next several moves, Japan appears as one lacking in strategic insight, giving the impression of flailing around, sometimes inflicting wounds on itself. 106 By Design or Accident Nor is China coming up all roses from this brawl. There is the perception that it has been exploiting the Yasukuni and history issues to the hilt to advance its foreign policy and strategic objectives — for instance to deny Japan a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. The actions of China, a potential super-power, are under close scrutiny in many countries. Its principles of a peaceful rise should be seen to apply to all countries, and not selectively. China also needs to be mindful that half of Asia does not carry negative memories of Japan from the Pacific War. Japan’s war against China lasted much longer than its war in Southeast Asia and was accompanied by much more destruction and suffering. Korea too suffered, having experienced four decades of unpleasant Japanese colonial rule. But in Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese, the Thais, the Burmese, and the Indonesians do not have bitter memories of the Japanese. And India, which was not invaded and occupied by the Japanese, carries no anti-Japanese legacy from the war. At this juncture both Japan and China need wise leadership. Tokyo needs to be more sophisticated in handling the sensitivities of neighbours and the competition from Beijing. As for China, the question arises whether it is fully heeding Deng Xiaoping’s advice that it should build up its power and wealth gradually, without making other powers feel insecure or threatened. It seems to be in a nervous hurry to advance its geopolitical interests, causing jitters among others...