Japan urged to uphold pacifist constitution

Tokyo's growing involvement in South China Sea affairs is driven more by Washington's "Indo-Pacific" strategy than by Japan's own security interests, Japanese experts said.

They warned that Japan's expanding role could heighten regional tensions, and called on Tokyo to uphold its pacifist principles by pursuing diplomacy rather than military moves.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi issued a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration" on July 12, in which he endorsed the so-called "award", attacked China's lawful claims and portrayed Japan as a "legitimate stakeholder" in the South China Sea. A coalition of 14 countries issued the joint statement, which prompted a solemn representation and strong protest from the Chinese embassy in Japan on July 13.

Shi Yong, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese embassy in Japan, lodged the representation with Kanai Masaaki, director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Such actions have heightened vigilance among regional countries and the broader international community, the embassy said.

Moreover, Japan has expanded defense equipment transfers to the Philippines in recent years, while strengthening joint exercises and security cooperation with Manila, further deepening its involvement in South China Sea affairs.

Ukeru Magosaki, director of the East Asian Community Institute in Tokyo and a former foreign ministry official, told China Daily that Japan's growing security cooperation with the Philippines is likewise not based on Tokyo's own independent strategic judgment, but serves the overall US strategic deployment in the Asia-Pacific.

He said the United States regards China as its principal strategic competitor and is seeking to build alliances in diplomacy, security and other fronts to counter China. Japan's actions involving the South China Sea, he said, are part of that broader strategy.

In his view, the US is seeking to establish a strategic framework involving Japan, the Philippines, and Australia to counter China.

Japan's closer cooperation with the Philippines is an integral part of that strategy, with the Philippines expected to serve as a key strategic foothold in the US regional strategy, Magosaki said.

He said the most important way to resolve regional disputes is for the parties directly concerned to reach a consensus through dialogue. If a third party becomes involved, its role should be to facilitate consensus rather than deepen confrontation.

"Japan's current approach is the opposite," Magosaki said.

"Friendly relations with China are indispensable to stability and peace in East Asia. Any attempt to deliberately stir up confrontation with China could make the regional situation more tense and unstable," he warned.

Dual challenges

Hiroshi Shiratori, a professor of political science at Hosei University in Tokyo, told China Daily that as a country outside the South China Sea, Japan could face both constitutional and policy challenges if it continues to deepen its military involvement in South China Sea affairs.

Shiratori said Japan could even seek to build a relationship with the Philippines that is closer to a military alliance. However, expanding Japan's defense policy beyond its immediate region is inconsistent with the pacifist principles enshrined in Japan's constitution.

He noted that the Philippines occupies an important position in the "first island chain", a strategic string of Pacific archipelagos, including countries such as Japan and the Philippines, that the US can coordinate to act as a military barrier and containment line against China.

Against this backdrop, Japan's closer security cooperation with the Philippines could also be seen as serving Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's "Taiwan contingency" concept whereby she said Tokyo could respond militarily to a potential attack on the island.

Shiratori said such a stance could pose a new risk to regional stability while further expanding the overseas role of Japan's Self-Defense Forces.

He said Japan should face up to its history of aggression in the Asia-Pacific region and uphold the pacifist principles established through deep war reflection.

houjunjie@chinadaily.com.cn