Japan wary of emerging China

Story dated 06 February 2005

In light of recent military incursion by the PRC into Japanese territory and attempts by Beijing to meddle in the international affairs of Japan, the government of Japan is beginning to take a much harder line where China is concerned. "There is little love lost between Asia's two economic titans. Japan lobbies Europe and Russia not to sell advanced weapons to China's military; China opposes Japan's aspirations to a seat on the U.N. Security Council. China fumes at Japan's friendly relations with Taiwan; Japan wonders why it is giving aid to a nation that has a program to put a man on the moon." Priminister Koizumi has recently announced that Japan may halt foreign aid to China entirely. ("Over the past 25 years, Japan has provided China with nearly $30 billion in development loans, a fact rarely mentioned in China's press.") "I think it's graduation time," Koizumi said recently. "Gyohten [a Japanese business leader] questioned the wisdom of antagonizing China out of pique over Chinese harping on World War II and the invasion by Japan. "Many Japanese believe they have already apologized," he said. "But I, for one, believe that we should apologize as many times as possible." . . . But for Koizumi, Ishihara and their generation, there is a statute of limitations on contrition. As Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University Japan, said: "This is a Japan that doesn't flinch any more.""

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 7:24 PM

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