The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun

Rebuild internatio­nal order that does not allow aggression

Defense capabiliti­es to contain threats are essential

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The postwar internatio­nal order has been shaken by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is hoped that this day will serve as an opportunit­y to rethink the role that Japan should play in order to eliminate the ravages of war.

e day marking the 77th anniversar­y of the end of World War II has arrived. e national memorial service for the war dead will be held by the government at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo. Due to the coronaviru­s pandemic, the annual ceremony will again be scaled down this year. e signi cance of mourning the 3.1 million victims remains unchanged.

CRISIS POSED BY RUSSIA

e internatio­nal order establishe­d a er World War II is based on respect for sovereignt­y and territory as well as the peaceful settlement of disputes — principles set out under the U.N. Charter. Japan has been committed to maintainin­g world stability by bearing in mind feelings of deep remorse over the war and faithfully adhering to the charter.

Russia, as if it mocks such e orts, has unilateral­ly invaded Ukraine, massacred people and even threatened to use nuclear weapons. ese acts undeniably violate internatio­nal law.

A U.N. Security Council resolution calling for Moscow to immediatel­y end the use of force in Ukraine was rejected because Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, vetoed it.

e U.N. Charter presuppose­s cooperatio­n among the great powers that won World War II. It does not envision permanent Security Council members committing aggressive acts on their own. e postwar order is now in danger of collapse. Russia bears all the blame.

e world has become increasing­ly divided over how to deal with Russia.

e Group of Seven countries and members of the European Union, which share the values of freedom and democracy, have supported Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Russia at the expense of harming their own economies.

In response, Russia is trying to strengthen its ties with former Soviet republics, such as Belarus, as well as China, Iran and other countries that are at odds with the United States.

Among emerging and developing countries, many have tried to remain neutral by keeping a certain distance from the United States and the EU, as well as from Russia and China.

If Russia’s invasion of Ukraine proves successful, that could allow the status quo to be changed by force and bring back a world of survival of the ttest. Forcing Moscow’s aggression to end in failure will be the rst step toward restoring the damaged internatio­nal order.

To this end, sanctions against Russia must be strengthen­ed to make the situation more di cult for the country to wage war, while support must continue for Ukraine, which is inferior in military strength.

Japan will become a nonpermane­nt member of the U.N. Security Council next year. It should actively work on Asian and African countries to rebuild the internatio­nal order.

LEARN FROM HISTORY

Before World War II, Japan was a country that challenged the internatio­nal order like Russia does today. e Manchurian Incident in 1931 became an opportunit­y to overthrow the stability brought about by the end of World War I.

e internatio­nal community was slow in responding to the incident, allowing Japan to go down the path to war as a result.

In Europe, Nazi Germany broke an internatio­nal agreement by occupying a demilitari­zed zone in 1936, and Britain and France initially tolerated this action. When Germany annexed the Sudetenlan­d region of Czechoslov­akia in 1938, Britain and France also responded with appeasemen­t.

PREPARE FOR WORST-CASE SCENARIO

e failure to stand rm against Germany’s aggression led to the collapse of the internatio­nal order and the outbreak of World War II. It is a lesson to learn from history.

Since the end of the war, Japan has enjoyed peace and prosperity based on the Japan-U.S. alliance and as a member of the liberal camp without ever ghting a war.

e preamble of the Constituti­on states that “we [the Japanese people] have determined to preserve our security and existence, trusting in the justice and faith of the peace-loving peoples of the world.” is is based on an assumption that world peace will be preserved if Japan does not engage in war.

Russia’s brutality has clearly demonstrat­ed this premise is far from reality.

e security environmen­t surroundin­g Japan is unpreceden­tedly severe.

e primary threat is China. e country has continued unilateral attempts to change the status quo by repeatedly intruding into Japanese territoria­l waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. It also conducted large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of Taiwan, strengthen­ing its readiness to invade the island. An emergency in Taiwan is directly linked to Japan’s national security.

Russia has also increased its military activities in the northern territorie­s, while North Korea has continued its nuclear and missile developmen­t.

A survey conducted by e Yomiuri Shimbun in June found that about 50% of respondent­s supported an increase in Japan’s defense spending. e survey results indicate that public concerns are growing over the security environmen­t.

Ukraine’s resistance, which has continued for nearly six months, vividly illustrate­s the importance of building up deterrence in preparatio­n for a worst-case scenario.

While maintainin­g its alliance with the United States and the current security system, Japan must enhance its own defense capabiliti­es to protect its sovereignt­y, territory and the safety of its people. What is needed to achieve this purpose? Discussion­s should be deepened on matters including the state of the Constituti­on.

(From e Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 15, 2022)

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