Latest News:  

English>>World

Message of caution for Japan

By Li Qingsi  (China Daily)

09:33, January 15, 2013

Key Words:Shinzo Abe; Tomiichi Murayama; East Asia; militarism; Liberal Democratic Party; US-Japan military ties; Japan

Realted Reading:
>>Japan must face up to history in Abe era
>> Nearly two thirds Japanese support Abe's cabinet: poll
>>Can Shinzo Abe save the Japanese economy?
>>Abe's gov't announces new cabinet lineup

The return of Liberal Democratic Party's Shinzo Abe to power is a culminating point for right-wing forces in Japan. Abe appears keen on making Japan's stance on militarism less apologetic by replacing the landmark 1995 Murayama statement (former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama had apologized for the Japanese atrocities committed during World War II).

Needless to say, Japan's sharp right turn will escalate the already high tension in East Asia. Making matters worse is the belligerence of some Southeast Asian countries in their territorial disputes with China. The Philippines, which suffered Japanese atrocities during World War II, has surprisingly supported the revival of militarism in Japan, which has the tacit backing of the United States. To contain China's rise, the US is playing with fire by re-arming Japan and instigating territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region.

With the consolidation of US-Japan military ties, Washington has intensified its military cooperation with Tokyo and encouraged Japanese right-wing forces to take on China through the Diaoyu Islands disputes. But the US ought to realize that the profit it expects to reap from a Sino-Japanese conflict will not be without a cost.

The US may be willing to propel Japan's territorial ambitions - a dangerous move to say the least - to contain China's rise, but it cannot afford to push thousands of US soldiers into another conflict.

In the hope of reviving its fortunes, Japan seized the opportunity offered by the US rebalancing to Asia (shifting of Washington's strategic focus to Asia) to re-engage in military expansionism and even to try to build nuclear weapons. Japan, as a matter of tradition, has worshipped the strong and powerful. It surrendered only to the US in World War II after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But despite years of US occupation, there was not even the slightest change in the core of Japan's war machine - the imperial system.

Japan does not see China as a victorious nation of World War II and continues its arrogant defiance of history. Unlike Germany, Japan has never thoroughly reflected on its war crimes. Worse, it has soured relations with Russia, China and the Republic of Korea over territorial disputes. Perhaps the US's support has emboldened Japan to do so.

But by departing from the post-war international order it helped create, the US will draw fire from the international community. As a nuclear power, Japan will not continue to bow to the US, and Washington knows it full well. In this sense, the huge US military presence in Japan is to watch over Japan rather than to protect it.

【1】 【2】



We recommend:

Nudists rally for right to bare it all

Unforgettable moments you cannot miss in December

Bloody scenery of shark hunting

Sao Paulo faces hot weather in January

Finland celebrates Epiphany with slide show

Children taking cold-resistant exercise

Email|Print|Comments(Editor:张茜、姚春)

Leave your comment0 comments

  1. Name

  

Selections for you


  1. Carrier-based aircraft unit in flight training

  2. J-10 fighters over E. China Sea

  3. Countries with the cleanest air

  4. Chengdu braces for holiday travel rush

  5. The strongest left-behind children

  6. Heavy fog envelops Chinese cities

  7. North American auto show kicks off in Detroit

  8. Food and flower festivals

  9. Have fun picking strawberries in Jinshan

  10. Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival 2013

Most Popular

Opinions

  1. Heavy smog reveals generation gap
  2. A very rash act by the US
  3. Message of caution for Japan
  4. Adding mortar to the BRICS
  5. Children without parents still lack help, protection
  6. Philippines moves in wrong direction
  7. Drinking water safety is not a simple problem
  8. Japan's envisaged 'warning shots' dangerous
  9. When Chinese wives meet American mothers-in-law
  10. Will you leave a city because of cold?

What’s happening in China

Extinction of river dolphin: What does it mean for the Yangtze River?

  1. Such 'evasion' is a shame of education
  2. Snow eases air pollution in Beijing, more or less
  3. Bureau tried to 'borrow' orphans from temple
  4. Shoppers snap up air purifiers to beat the smog
  5. Authorities to boost wild bird protection