Doubts at 40th anniversary

Some Japanese politicians are putting hard-won diplomatic relations with China in jeopardy for their own political gain

Forty years ago — or 27 years after Japan’s surrender, which marked the end of Japanese aggression — China buried its pain and signed a joint declaration with Japan establishing diplomatic relations. According to Confucius one should have no doubts at the age of 40. But relations have become increasingly strained. Particularly this year, thanks to the antics of Japanese politicians such as Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, who are always trying to push the envelope of insulting and outrageous behavior.

In the latest move, Jin Matsubara, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and Yuichiro Hata, the minister for ocean policy, announced their plan to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Wednesday. The shrine is a symbol of Japan’s military past and the proposed visits would be the first by ministers in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan since it came to power in 2009. The visits will also contravene the wishes of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who, like his two predecessors, has asked his Cabinet members to stay away.

The Yasukuni Shrine is dedicated to the souls of 2.5 million dead — including 14 leading war criminals such as the wartime prime minister General Hideki Tojo, who in the 1930s led the Japanese forces that occupied Northeast China and later authorized the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was hanged for war crimes after being found guilty by an international tribunal.

Unlike Germany, Japan has not done any serious soul-searching about its military aggression and war crimes. Some Japanese revisionists even claim that atrocities such as the Nanjing Massacre, which is well documented, never happened. Japan has also retained many of the symbols of its past imperialism and militarism and continued to use its wartime national flag and national anthem.

It has also reneged on a tacit understanding about the Diaoyu Islands. In June 1971 the United States handed over the administration of Okinawa including the Diaoyu Islands — which it should have returned to China — to Japan. The Chinese and Japanese leaders who restored diplomatic relations between the two countries had the political wisdom to agree to shelve the issue in order to foster ties.

But Shintaro Ishihara has successfully pushed the Japanese government to throw down the gauntlet to China. Both Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto made it public that if necessary the country’s Self-Defense Forces can be mobilized to defend the Diaoyu Islands. Also, Japan is trying to bring the islets under the umbrella of the Japan-US Security Pact.

Japan’s attempts to seize China’s territory have naturally strained relations.

In fact, the signs of animus toward China are becoming more obvious in Japan and a recent survey by China Daily and Genron, a Japanese nonprofit organization, found that 84 percent of the Japanese people surveyed had a bad impression of China.

This begs the question of what exactly there is to celebrate on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on Sept 29.

Those Japanese politicians looking to sour relations and provoke China should be aware that 80 percent of the public in the two countries think the bilateral relations are important. Also the two governments reaffirmed earlier this year that they would reinforce their strategically beneficiary relations.

Former Japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama said in an interview with Ribenxinwen.com last week that the Chinese government had to respond to Japan’s plan to nationalize the Diaoyu Islands. But he suggested that the two countries should work hard to encourage the joint development of the oil and gas and the abundant fisheries in the waters close to the Diaoyu Islands, as China has proposed. In doing so, the two countries can reap and share the benefits from the islets through consultation and negotiation and strengthen their cooperation and ties.

The phrase “a confrontational relationship will make both losers” is more than just diplomatic language. It is a reality that the two countries need to avoid.

Some Japanese politicians are trying to distract the Japanese public from domestic problems by creating conflicts with China. But this is just doubling down on a bad bet.

The two countries have enthusiastically celebrated the 10th, 20th and 30th anniversaries. They should strive to ensure they have something to celebrate on the 40th.