Japan's US$2 billion deal to develop an Iranian oilfield is causing friction with the US, but Washington's key Asian ally is betting its staunch support on other security issues will limit any impact on bilateral ties.
Japan, which relies on the Middle East for almost all its oil, has been juggling its desire to develop Iran's Azadegan oil field with pressure from the US to back off because of concerns that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons.
Washington was quick to express its "disappointment" that the controversial deal had gone ahead, but Japanese government officials said yesterday the US reaction came as no surprise.
"We hadn't expected the United States to say `well done' about this agreement. But we had explained our national situation -- that Japan has to secure stable energy," said Tetsuhiro Hosono, an official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi probably calculated that his close ties with US President George W. Bush and his decision to send troops to Iraq despite voter opposition had won him leeway to act on the deal with Japan's third-largest oil supplier, diplomatic analysts said.
Koizumi last month began deploying troops to help rebuild Iraq in Japan's biggest and riskiest overseas mission since World War II, involving some 1,000 personnel.
"Clearly, Japan's action in this matter is not based on distancing itself from the alliance," said Tokyo University political scientist Takashi Inoguchi.
"They are saying that this range of freedom should be allowed given their commitment and loyalty to the United States," he said. "I think the Japanese calculation may be correct, but we don't know how the action will impact the alliance."
Japan's top government spokesman, Yasuo Fukuda, welcomed the signing of the contract, which capped four years of tough negotiations and reinvigorated Iran's drive for investment.
"I think it is good if this leads to a stable energy supply, Fukuda told a news conference.
He added that Japan was well aware of US concerns and would keep urging Iran to abide by resolutions of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran has consistently denied seeking to build nuclear weapons and agreed last October to allow snap inspections of its atomic facilities and to halt temporarily uranium enrichment.
How much friction develops between the US and Japan will likely depend on Iran's actions on the nuclear front.
If Iran resumes uranium enrichment, the US "may need to put pressure on Iran and if Japan is providing resources, that could be a problem," said US political scientist Joseph Nye. "Bush would probably want to draw down political credits with Koizumi and there could be some friction."
Nye, dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, added: "It's not a cause for divorce, but it's a cause for a dispute within the family."
Asked by reporters how Japan would respond if Iran did not keep its nuclear promises, Vice Trade Minister Seiji Murata said: "We would have to deal with that on a case-by-case basis."
Tokyo's pledge to keep pressing Iran to live up to its IAEA commitments could weigh in its favor when Washington considered whether to implement the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, designed to discourage non-US firms from investing in those countries, analysts said.
The US has never tried to implement the law.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
RSS