Japan: The dawn of a new era

TOKYO — A Japanese associate told me that there has been a significant increase in the number of Filipino tourists going to Japan. Not surprising at all since Japan has been so much cheaper for travelers nowadays, plus the fact that the Japanese Embassy has made it much easier to get a tourist visa. There is also a fairly large number of OFWs in Japan where I’m told many of them are Mayor Digoy Duterte fans. Our Filipino driver tells me a lot of Filipino workers are particularly concerned with the peace and order situation in the Philippines.

Big changes are happening in Japan’s political front especially since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a fresh mandate as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party – elected almost unopposed. And if he continues on as prime minister until 2018, he will have the distinction of being the third-longest serving Japanese prime minister after the war. More significantly, Abe has ushered in a new era as far as Japan’s foreign policy is concerned. Despite widespread opposition, a security bill that would allow the Japanese armed forces to fight abroad was recently passed – a game changer since Article 9 in Japan’s pacifist constitution says they are to “forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes.”

But as they say, times change. No doubt the volatile security environment in the region – as seen in China’s increasing aggression and North Korea’s growing fascination with nuclear weapons (Pyongyang has hinted it might fire a rocket this October to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the Workers Party) – has spurred these recent developments in Japan. 

Tension between China and Japan has been escalating, especially with the recent disclosure that China arrested two Japanese men who have been accused of spying – something that Japan vehemently denied. Apparently, the two men were arrested last May but both countries kept this under wraps because of a major diplomatic event happening in China – the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat during World War II – with an invitation issued to the Japanese Prime Minister. Abe didn’t go, and neither did US President Barack Obama.

It is quite clear that Prime Minister Abe’s policy shift towards “proactive pacifism” involves what has been described as a doctrine of collective self-defense, wherein Japan can utilize military force if the nation’s existence as well as the lives and the freedom of the people are “feared to be profoundly threatened because of an armed attack on Japan or other countries.”

In this light, Japan is pursuing strategic alliances to maintain the balance of power and check China’s increasing assertiveness. For instance, Japan and Vietnam are hammering out a strategic partnership as seen in the recent visit of Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to Tokyo two weeks ago where discussions centered on trade and regional security issues relative to the developments in the South China Sea. Japan happens to be the biggest donor of official development assistance to Vietnam – a country that is considered as a “veteran” when it comes to repelling Chinese aggression in the disputed maritime territories in the South China Sea.

Even the Philippines is ramping up relations with Vietnam, with the two countries getting closer to signing a strategic cooperation agreement on the South China Sea this November – most likely on the sidelines of the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit in Manila. According to Vietnamese Ambassador Truong Trieu Duong, the draft is being finalized, and among the significant aspects would be the enhanced military alliance between Vietnam and the Philippines – to the displeasure of China.

More countries are seeking strategic alliances to contain China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Like Japan, India is also looking at increasing its role and expanding its relations with other nations especially those that are engaged in territorial/boundary disputes with China. As foreign policy experts noted, the Japan-Australia-India trilateral dialogue (which is strongly approved by the US) shows that countries are coming together in a bid to countervail China’s continued aggression. In fact, Japan will also be joining the Malabar joint naval drill in the Indian Ocean between India and the US this October (as a permanent participant) with Australia also keen to participate.

President Barack Obama has received criticism in the US for what has been perceived as a rather lukewarm commitment to the much-vaunted Asia pivot. Yet last Thursday, one of the most advanced aircraft carriers of the US Navy – the USS Ronald Reagan – docked in Japan. The vessel is equipped with powerful and state-of-the-art defense radars and integrated weapons systems, and brings with it a crew of 5,000 and a complement of 80 aircraft. This deployment will certainly boost the capability of the US Seventh Fleet, not to mention enhance ties with Japan and to a great extent ease the minds of other players in the region.

One could say that Japan is on the cusp of a new era as far as domestic and foreign policy are concerned. The successful passage of the security bill that widens the scope of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces heralds a transformation that, while criticized and opposed by those who could not forget Japan’s role during World War II, is welcomed by nations like the Philippines, Japan, Australia and Vietnam who are getting wary about the increasing militarism of China rather than fearful of Japan turning into a “militaristic nation.” A new era has indeed taken place; our relationship with Japan has become closer than ever especially with our strategic security partnership.

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