The US-Japan alliance originated from the Cold War environment in East Asia, which swiftly came into being after the end of World War II. However, paradoxically, although it has been more than a quarter of a century since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War between the Western and Eastern blocs, the US and Japan are opening a new page in history by cultivating their partnership this year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The backdrop of this is a rising China, which is breathing new life into the partnership between the US and Japan.
The reinforced ties will undoubtedly place considerable pressure on an emerging China. How it will cope with the challenges brought about by the US-Japan alliance is precisely what Beijing is straining to resolve diplomatically.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent visit to the US “accidentally” drew substantial attention during the eight days he spent there, which was likely the most important visit to the US by a Japanese prime minister since the end of the Cold War. Not only did Abe received top-level treatment, he also became the first Japanese prime minister to address a joint meeting of the US Congress, all of which shows how much US President Barack Obama valued Abe’s historic visit.
Yet Abe did not go unprepared. His new Guidelines for US-Japan Defense Cooperation is no small gift to the US, and they will serve Washington’s rebalancing strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.
The guidelines were first presented on Nov. 27, 1978, in response to the Soviet threat. A revised version was published on Sept. 23, 1997, targeting North Korea, which was developing nuclear weapons at the time. This new version is the third version, and it aims to prevent a Chinese break-out.
At a press conference after a summit with Abe, Obama bluntly criticized China, saying that instead of following international law in dealing with disputes, it has been flexing its muscles, causing regional tensions and unnerving its neighbors.
The guidelines facilitate a seamless transition in cooperative defense from peacetime to troubled times. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) will be allowed to take part in assisting US military operations and will no longer be confined to Japan and its immediate environs. That the Japanese military deployment can now reach anywhere in the world is the focal point of this document.
Needless to say, this important shift will have a restraining effect on China’s aggressive maritime strategies that it has adopted in recent years. In fact, Obama made it clear during the press conference that the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the US and Japan encompasses all Japanese territory, including the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) — known as the Senkakus in Japan — which Taiwan also claims.
Although the new guidelines stipulate that actions in response to an armed attack against the islands will primarily be conducted by the JSDF, the US has a clear commitment to cooperative defense with Japan, which precludes the possibility of any future Chinese advances toward the islands.
On matters pertaining to the East China Sea, the US and Japan are jointly concerned with China building artificial islands for territorial expansion. The two allies take a concurrent stance in maintaining freedom of navigation in the regional sea lanes and peaceful resolution of conflict. As the ban to constrain the JSDF’s operational zones is lifted by the guidelines, Japan has reportedly been actively considering their participation in US air and sea patrol missions in the East China Sea.
During the 70 years since World War II came to an end, the US-Japan alliance has been active in maintaining regional peace. Today, their imagined enemy, China, has transformed this relationship from a one-way alliance to a two-way alliance, thus forming a new competitive relationship between the world’s three major economies.
If there is not active dialogue between the US, Japan and China to build an effective mechanism based on safety and mutual trust, regional conflict will be inevitable if the safety balance of this new competitive-cooperative relationship is tipped.
Based on shared values and interests, two enemies that tried to destroy each during World War II have now forged a firm alliance. Surely this must be an inspiration for China. Why is it that China cannot enter into an alliance with the US and Japan?
As this new alliance between the US and Japan is forming as a result of a rising China, the big challenge for Taiwan is how to make an adjustment that is meticulous, appropriate and operative on the basis of a balanced diplomatic strategy that makes peace with China, makes friends with Japan and remains close to the US.
John Lim is an associate research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Modern History and an adjunct associate professor at National Taiwan University.
Translated by Ethan Zhan
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