Japan - Foreign Relations
Japan is the world's third-largest economy and a major economic power
both in Asia and globally. Japan has diplomatic relations with nearly all
independent nations and has been an active member of the United Nations
since 1956. Japanese foreign policy has aimed to promote peace and
prosperity for the Japanese people by working closely with the West and
supporting the United Nations.
In stark contrast to European countries, which managed to achieve post-war
reconciliation and harmony based on a universal and unambiguous
interpretation of historical events and the willingness of Germany to take
responsibility for its Nazi past, the nations of East Asia are still waiting for
Japan to fully accept accountability for the tragic events of the past.
Ever since the end of World War II, the issues of repentance and
forgiveness remain a source of diplomatic tensions between Japan, China
and South Korea, hindering their efforts to establish a trilateral free trade
zone. The Chinese government regularly voices criticism of Tokyo’s policies,
making use of both the historical memory of the peoples of Asia who do not
see Japan in a positive light, and the occasions Japanese politicians
themselves provide (like history textbooks distorting or omitting certain
events and facts and senior officials visiting a temple honoring war criminals
- among others).
On 14 August 2015 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed feelings of
“profound grief” and “sincere condolences’ to those who suffered and died
from Japan’s past military aggression while making his highly anticipated
public statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The
prime minister upheld apologies made by his predecessors, including the
Murayama Statement in 1995 that apologized for the damage and suffering
caused by Japan during World War II, but offered no new apology of his
own. The prime minister’s statement did not satisfy Japan’s regional
neighbors, especially south Korea and China.
The controversy over the past came as Prime Minister Abe has embarked in
efforts to make Japan’s military more proactive by reinterpreting the
country’s postwar pacifist constitution. New security measures being
considered in the Japanese parliament would give the military more latitude
to defend its people and interests, to participate in collective self-defense
and defend allies like the United States.
While maintaining its relationship with the United States, Japan has
diversified and expanded its ties with other nations. Good relations with its
neighbors continue to be of vital interest. After the signing of a peace and
friendship treaty with China in 1978, ties between the two countries
developed rapidly. Japan extended significant economic assistance to the
Chinese in various modernization projects and supported Chinese
membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Chinese President Hu
Jintao's May 2008 visit to Tokyo, and subsequent high-level exchanges,
helped improve relations with China.
In recent years, however, Chinese exploitation of gas fields in the East
China Sea has raised Japanese concerns given disagreement over the
demarcation of their maritime boundaries. A long-running boundary dispute
among Japan, China, and Taiwan over the Senkaku (Diaoyu Tai) Islands
also continues. After a Chinese trawler collided with a Japanese ship in
September 2010, Japan detained the Chinese skipper for more than 2
weeks, causing a strain in Japan-China relations. Japan maintains economic
and cultural but not diplomatic relations with Taiwan; they have a thriving
bilateral trade relationship.
A surprise visit by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Pyongyang, North
Korea on September 17, 2002, resulted in renewed discussions on
contentious bilateral issues--especially Japanese citizens' abductions to
North Korea--and Japan's agreement to resume normalization talks in the
near future. In October 2002, five abductees returned to Japan, but soon
after negotiations reached a stalemate over the fate of abductees' families in
North Korea. Japan's economic and commercial ties with North Korea
plummeted following Kim Jong-il's 2002 admission that D.P.R.K. agents
abducted Japanese citizens.
Japan strongly supported the United States in its efforts to encourage
Pyongyang to abide by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its
agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In 2006,
Japan responded to North Korea's July missile launches and October
nuclear test by imposing sanctions and working with the United Nations
Security Council. The U.S., Japan, and South Korea closely coordinate and
consult trilaterally on policy toward North Korea, and Japan participates in
the Six-Party Talks to end North Korea's nuclear arms ambitions. Japan and
North Korea reached an agreement in August 2008 in which Pyongyang
promised to reinvestigate abduction cases. However, the D.P.R.K. has failed
to implement the agreement. Continued North Korean missile tests and
bellicose language is viewed with serious concern in Japan.
In recent years, Japan and the Republic of Korea have stepped up high-
level diplomatic activity and coordination, resulting in an improved tone in
their relationship. However, historical differences, including territorial
disputes involving the Liancourt Rocks and Japan’s role in Korea during
World War II, complicate Japan's political relations with South Korea despite
growing economic and cultural ties.
Japan's relations with Russia are hampered by the two sides' inability to
resolve their territorial dispute over the islands that make up the Northern
Territories (Southern Kuriles) seized by the U.S.S.R. at the end of World
War II. The stalemate over territorial issues has prevented conclusion of a
peace treaty formally ending the war between Japan and Russia. The
United States recognizes Japanese sovereignty over the islands. During his
initial meeting with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev in September 2009,
DPJ Prime Minister Hatoyama said he wanted to resolve the issue and sign
a peace treaty, but it has not come to fruition. This remains the position of
the DPJ government. Despite the lack of progress in resolving the Northern
Territories and other disputes, Japan and Russia continue to develop other
aspects of the overall relationship, including two large, multi-billion dollar oil-
natural gas consortium projects on Sakhalin Island.
Japan has pursued a more active foreign policy in recent years, recognizing
the responsibility that accompanies its economic strength, and has
expanded ties with the Middle East, which provides most of its oil. In 2006,
Japan's Ground Self Defense Force completed a successful 2-year mission
in Iraq. The Air Self-Defense Force's (ASDF) airlift support mission in Iraq
formally ended in December 2008. In January 2010, the Diet also ended the
Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law that allowed for Japan's Maritime Self
Defense Force refueling activities in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
in the Indian Ocean. Since 2009, Japan has been an active partner in
international counter-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa.
Japan increasingly is active in Africa and Latin America--concluding
negotiations with Mexico, Chile, and Peru on Economic Partnership
Agreements (EPAs)--and has extended significant support to development
projects in both regions. Japan's economic engagement with its neighbors is
increasing, as evidenced by the conclusion of EPAs with Singapore, the
Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, and India.
