$Unique_ID{bob00362} $Pretitle{} $Title{Japan Diplomacy} $Subtitle{} $Author{International Society for Educational Information, Inc.} $Affiliation{Embassy of Japan, Washington DC} $Subject{japan security international peace world japan's states united defense policy} $Date{1989} $Log{} Title: Japan Book: The Japan of Today Author: International Society for Educational Information, Inc. Affiliation: Embassy of Japan, Washington DC Date: 1989 Diplomacy Foreign relations Japan's fundamental foreign policy stance is to contribute to world peace and prosperity and at the same time to maintain its own security and well-being in a manner consistent with its position as a member of the free world and as a country of the Asia-Pacific region. Diplomacy as a member of the free and democratic world The peace and prosperity that Japan enjoys today would not have been possible without its postwar decision to act in cooperation and solidarity with other countries sharing the values of freedom and democracy. Awareness of its position as a member of the free world is basic to Japan's foreign policy. Among its relations with other democratic countries, Japan's ties with the United States, supported by bilateral security arrangements, form the cornerstone of its foreign policy. Japan-U.S. relations have strengthened steadily throughout the postwar period, and despite recent economic friction of unprecedented severity the two countries are cooperating closely to solve their problems, recognizing that economic issues must not be allowed to impair the overall health of their relationship. The ties between the two countries have developed beyond a bilateral framework to become a partnership based on global perspectives. Japan must seek to maintain and strengthen its cooperative relations with the United States and at the same time contribute to the international community at large. With regard to relations between Japan and Western Europe, Japan, which is working to contribute to world peace and prosperity in a way that is commensurate with its capabilities and situation, and the West European countries, which are displaying new vigor as a result of the upcoming unificaton of the European market in 1992 and the development of political cooperation, must work together with the United States to achieve solidarity and cooperation in the West. Relations between Japan and Western Europe are not as close as those between Japan and the United states or between the United States and Western Europe however, and the need for strong, balanced trilateral relations makes it imperative for Japan to place priority on strengthening its relations with Europe. Diplomacy as an Asia-Pacific nation Dynamic economic growth is taking place in the Asia-Pacific region today, especially in the newly industrialized economies (NIEs), which are playing an increasingly important role in the world economy. Japan has extremely close relations with the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, not only in terms of geographic proximity but also economically culturally, and historically. Japan's relations with the Asia-Pacific region have become especially close and wide-ranging in recent years as more Japanese companies have located facilities overseas, as the NIEs and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have sharply stepped up their exports of manufactured goods to Japan and as the exchange of people between Japan and the Asia-Pacific region has increased. Under these circumstances, it is imperative that Japan as an economically powerful force, make an active contribution to stability so as to enable this region to achieve further development and enhanced stability. Negotiations for a peace treaty with the Soviet Union Japan earnestly wishes to develop truly friendly relations with its northern neighbor, the Soviet Union. The most serious obstacle to this is the issue of the return to Japan of the northern territories, a group of islands just off the northern coast of Hokkaido. These islands-the Habomais, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu-have never belonged to any country other than Japan, but they have been occupied by the Soviet Union since the end of World War II. In the ongoing negotiations for a peace treaty Japan has consistently and strongly urged the Soviet Union to settle this issue and thereby conclude a peace treaty to build stable relations between the two countries based on genuine mutual trust. Tasks for Japanese foreign policy The range of foreign policy issues that Japan must deal with in seeking to play an active role in the maintenance and development of the international order is wide-ranging, including the fundamental question of ensuring its own peace and prosperity. There is also an increasing need for Japan, taking new initiatives commensurate with its enhanced standing within the international community, to strengthen its cooperation in the maintenance of international peace, to expand and enhance its official development assistance, and to do more in terms of international cultural exchange. These three areas-cooperation for world peace, the expansion of ODA, and the promotion of international cultural exchange-represent the three pillars of the International Cooperation Initiative proposed by Prime Minister Takeshita Noboru in 1988 and now being advanced by Japan. Ensuring Japan's security: The exercise of all due vigilance in the cause of security is vital for maintaining a country's independence and prosperity and for protecting the lives and property of its people. Security must be the basis of any country's foreign policy. (See following section on national security.) Contributing to the sound development of the world economy: With Japan's gross national product now accounting for well over 10% of the world total, Japan has become more aware of its responsibilities and roles regarding the sound development of the world economy and has worked vigorously to shift its economic structure from dependence on exports to reliance on domestic demand and to bring its current account surplus down. These efforts to stimulate domestic demand, further open Japanese markets, and promote imports have, along with the yen's appreciation and the dollar's devaluation, contributed to reducing the Japan-U.S. trade imbalance and to expanding Japan's imports of manufactured goods from the Asian NIEs, the ASEAN countries, and other trading partners. Japan must continue these efforts to contribute to the sound development of the world economy. The free and multilateral trading system is the basis of economic development not only in Japan but throughout the world, and its maintenance and strengthening are vital for the growth of the world economy. Japan therefore must make a vigorous contribution to the success of multi-lateral trade negotiations carried out under the aegis of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Recent scientific and technological advances have come to exert a major influence on the world in many ways, and various science- and technology-related problems have arisen, including the flow of Western advanced technology to the East and the protection of intellectual property rights. Thus Japan, as a key member of the Western community and an Asia-Pacific nation, must continue to promote basic research vigorously and to play an active role in finding solutions to these problems. International Cooperation Initiative: In seeking to contribute to the international community, Japan must be more active in various aspects of international cooperation for peace and prosperity. Realizing this, Japan has formulated and is implementing the International Cooperation Initiative built around the three pillars of cooperating for peace, expanding official development assistance, and promoting international cultural exchange. (a) Cooperation for peace: International peace and prosperity are prerequisites of Japan's own peace and prosperity. Seeking to cooperate in the cause of peace, Japan, while making every diplomatic effort to create firm foundations for achieving peace in regional conflicts and other problem areas, must also diversify and expand its financial and other forms of cooperation for peace-keeping activities and must participate positively in peace-keeping efforts carried out by the United Nations and other international bodies, including the dispatch of civilian personnel. There is a clear need for Japan to make a positive and wide-ranging contribution to maintaining and enhancing world peace, including stepped-up refugee-relief efforts and vigorous contributions toward reconstruction after the fighting has stopped. (b) Expansion of ODA: As a nation committed to peace and as one of the world's economic leaders, Japan must contribute to reducing the North-South disparity and thereby enhancing the stability and development of the international community. Realizing that Japan has an important international responsibility to expand its ODA for the purposes of contributing to economic and social development, the stabilization of living standards, and the enhancement of welfare in the developing countries, Japan implements its ODA schemes in keeping with the generally accepted ideals of "mutual dependence of the world" and "humanitarian considerations." In line with this, the Japanese Government drew up its fourth medium-term target for ODA in 1988. Keeping in mind the need to raise the share of Japan's ODA in the total ODA of the members of the Development Assistance Committee to a level commensurate with the size of the Japanese economy, Japan has been working under this fourth medium-term target to raise its total ODA disbursements in the five years starting in 1988 to more than $50 billion; to raise the ratio of its ODA to GNP; to expand the grant portion of its aid to and enhance debt relief for the poorest countries of the world; to expand technical assistance, including the strengthening of provisions for foreign students to study in Japan; to promote cooperative through international organizations; and otherwise to enhance the quality of Japan's ODA. (c) Promotion of cultural exchange: The diverse cultures in the international community should all be seen as the shared heritage of human-kind, and all peoples everywhere should be able to enjoy universal values. At the same time, the fostering of respect for cultural diversity through exchange can lead to an international community that is tolerant of differing values. Likewise, the promotion of international cultural exchange will help to make Japanese society more open to the rest of the world. Japan has formed broad and intensive relationships with other nations of the world, but friction between it and other countries often stems from misunderstanding or inadequate understanding of one another's culture and social practices. Consequently Japan needs to increase international communication through the medium of culture to ensure that it is open to the rest of the world and to respond positively to the growing international interest in Japan to ensure that it is correctly understood overseas. Along with these efforts, Japan must contribute to enriching the diverse culture of the world. National security The establishment of permanent peace, which the Constitution declares as a high ideal and purpose, is the earnest wish of the Japanese people. Under its peace Constitution, Japan is striving to develop moderate yet effective defense capabilities in line with its basic policies of maintaining an exclusively defensive posture and never becoming such a military power as might threaten its neighbors. As the only country in the world to have suffered from atomic bombing (atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945), Japan firmly upholds the three non-nuclear principles of "not possessing nuclear weapons, not producing them, and not permitting their introduction into Japan," as a matter of national policy. The Atomic Energy Law also prohibits Japan from manufacturing or possessing nuclear weapons. Japan ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in June 1976 and placed itself under an obligation as a non-nuclear-weapon state not to produce or acquire any nuclear explosive devices. Japan's present security policy consists of three major pillars: to maintain firmly the close alliance with the United States, based on the Japan-U.S. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security; to improve steadily Japan's own defense capabilities through the upgrading of the Self-Defense Forces; and to pursue active diplomacy to create a more peaceful and stable international environment. Close alliance with the United States The first pillar of Japan's security policy is the maintenance of a firm and credible alliance with the United States based on the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. Since 1952 the security arrangements with the United States have provided Japan with an effective deterrent against external aggression. Under the Security Treaty the United States is granted the right to use facilities and areas in Japan, not only to contribute to Japan's security but also to maintain peace and security in the Far East. Japan provides about 130 facilities and areas all over the country. Japan has been making utmost efforts in the area of sharing the cost of the stationing of U.S. forces in Japan. In fiscal 1987 Japan contributed about (Y)316 billion (including estimated rent for national properties) to help defray the cost for such stationing. This represents an outlay of more than $46,800 per member of the U.S. services in Japan (at $1=(Y)135). In January 1987 Japan signed an agreement with the United States to increase substantially Japan's share of labor costs, and in January 1988 Japan decided to amend the agreement to further increase its share. Helped by such "host-nation support," about 50,000 members of the U.S. services are stationed in Japan, including a marine division and an F-16 air wing. Japan also provides basic support for the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier; USS Blue Ridge, the flagship of the Seventh Fleet; and 14 other U.S. naval vessels. These efforts of Japan to ensure the effective functioning of the Japan-U.S. security arrangements and to increase the credibility of deterrence contribute not only to the peace and security of Japan and the Far East but in turn to the peace and security of the Asia-Pacific region. Technology exchange with the United States is another area of Japan's efforts. In 1983 Japan opened the way for the transfer of Japanese military technologies to the United States as a sole exception to the longstanding policy of refraining from the transfer of arms and military technologies to other countries. In September 1986 the Government of Japan decided on the country's participation in the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative research project, and in July 1987 an agreement was concluded to facilitate Japan's participation. There is an increasing degree of firm public support in Japan for these security ties with the United States, and the U.S. defense commitment to Japan is generally gaining increasing support from the American public. Maintaining Japan's defense capability The Japan-U.S. security ties today are firmly accepted by public opinion on both sides of the Pacific. Improvement of Japan's own defense capabilities The second pillar of Japan's security policy is the steady improvement in its own defense capabilities. Just as in the case of the security arrangements with the United States, it also took many years in postwar Japan for the public at large to recognize and accept the legitimacy as well as the indispensability of the Self-Defense Forces. This was due to a tendency among the public to relate any military organization with Japan's pre-war militarism, which the nation had forsworn. The evolution of public opinion on security issues has eventually led to the public acceptance of the need to maintain the SDF. One can observe from a series of polls taken by the Government a steady upward trend in the positive public attitude toward the SDF. Today the main issue regarding the SDF is no longer whether they should be maintained at all, but to what extent their capabilities should be upgraded within the constitutional and other restraints on the country's basic defense posture, including Article 9 of the Constitution. Improvements in defense capabilities are implemented in accordance with the National Defense Program Outline. The outline sets forth both the conceptual framework for Japan's defense posture in peacetime as well as the actual force level of the SDF deemed consistent with such a posture. Presently the combined strength of the SDF is about 244,000. The Ground Self-Defense Force is organized into five armies and 13 divisions and has about 1,150 tanks; the Maritime Self-Defense Force has 161 vessels of various types and 171 operational aircraft; and the Air Self-Defense Force is equipped with 294 fighters as well as Nike missiles. In September 1985 the Government formulated a medium-term defense program covering fiscal 1986-90, with a view to attaining the force level of the above outline by the end of the period. This program is highly significant in that, for the first time, the Government set a target date by which the goal of the outline should be reached. Major items of procurement required under the program consist of some 240 tanks and 270 pieces of artillery for the GSDF, 35 vessels and 50 P-3C antisubmarine patrol aircraft for the MSDF, and over 60 F-15 interceptors as well as new surface-to-air guided missile systems for the ASDF. The total defense expenditure during the five-year period is estimated at approximately (Y)18.4 trillion. The defense-related expenditure for fiscal 1987 totaled (Y)3,517.4 billion, a 5.2% increase over the previous year. Active diplomacy The third pillar of Japan's security policy is the pursuit of an active diplomacy for the strengthening of world peace and security. No security policy can adequately meet the needs of a country, whether big or small, without some element of diplomacy to improve its own security environment. A security policy with exclusive attention to its military aspects fails to explore whatever useful contribution the country may be able to make to international peace. And this is perhaps particularly true for Japan, a country which is firmly committed to maintaining a restrained defense posture exclusively for its own defense. For such a country, the role of diplomacy in its security policy becomes all the more important. There is also the growing international expectation that Japan should not remain indifferent to its political responsibility as a major economic power to play an active role in peace-building efforts with other like-minded nations. This is the background against which Japan has been engaged, in recent years, in multidimensional diplomatic efforts on the important issues of international peace and security.