The following article appeared in the Mainichi Shinbun at the end of July. It is a Japanese view of Koizumi diplomatic policies during the "War on Terrorism."

JAPAN’S DIPLOMACY SINCE SEPTEMBER 11: THE HEAVY PRICE OF US-JAPAN PROXIMITY
By Makoto Iokibe
Kobe University

In this hot summer, we began to feel a presentiment of political convulsion over postal privatization. The political opponents and mass media are fairly motivated to oppose or question the bill, although they have been unable to compare with the Koizumi regime. In the view of national interest, however, postal privatization has to be done. We should get rid of the defective political structure in which the nation controls everything. The government must leave business to private enterprise when possible, and elaborate the system and framework for smooth management. Only businesses that cannot be run by private enterprises should be left to the government. This is a principle of the delegation of authority.

Of course, we need to consider whether the privatization project that is now suggested is valid or not. However, there's nothing perfect on the earth. If something wrong with the project turns up, then we can correct it. We'll probably put the project into action anyway.

What things "cannot be left to private enterprise"? I will mention something from the past and explain it. When the Roman Army controlled Judah, and had Herod rule the region indirectly, Rome had power over only three fields: They were security, diplomacy, and currency. Today, currency can be replaced by an economic redistribution system. In short, diplomatic relations and the domestic infrastructure can only be left to government.

In this article, I'd like to focus on diplomatic relations. How has Japan's diplomacy been in the global turbulence since 9-11?

The scene of the Twin Towers collapsing was more shocking than any fictional drama. It seems to have made a great impact on Americans, as well as those who favor anti-Americanism. Unfortunately, it has become a major theme of the 21st century. Rebuilding order is not an easy job for the world facing dissolution. There are two scenarios that have to be avoided: One is to refuse to fight against this awful terrorism and to ignore atrocities. The second is to damage the world order by focusing too much on countermeasures.

America, which is led by President Bush, is very motivated to struggle against terrorism. The reality that the world depends on America seems that it will be an enduring theme of the 21st century. That the US boosted its morale against terror was fortunate for world peace. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited America two weeks after 9-11, and said "We, together with America, will fight against terror." His words lifted Japan's international position more than 13 billion dollars of financial aid in the time of the Gulf War. When the Afghan War broke out, the Koizumi administration enacted an "anti-terror law" and supported the war. When the battle was over, it played an important role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. It should be appreciated that Japan joined the war against Afghanistan under the reign of the Taliban, which was considered to be a sanctuary of terrorism, and got involved in the reconstruction of the nation.

If America had been satisfied with the winning of the Afghan War, and then halted its military actions and moved to rebuild the world order diplomatically, global terrorism would have been in trouble. They wouldn't have had a sanctuary of terrorism, and countries that would hide terrorists. Luckily for them, however, the US engaged in an excessive counterattack and made a big mistake. They started the Iraq War and overthrew the Saddam regime. This gave global terrorists places in Iraq where they can act freely. The Bush administration, in which there is too much fighting spirit and not enough clear ideas and wisdom, "played into the hands" of the terrorists.

The Koizumi administration advised President Bush to construct an agreement with the United Nations. However, he clearly favored America's action, even when the US began the Iraq War without the permission of the UN. Later, he enacted the "anti-war law" and dispatched the SDF to Iraq, where there was guerrilla fighting. It was a hard decision.

Ahh! But how it made Japan-US relations intimate and close! The improvement of Japan-US relations is an important national interest, because we can't deal with North Korea and the Taiwan Channel on our own. However, the Iraq War itself was a mistake, and Japan having joined the war, will also pay a heavy price. The price is mainly the risk that the dispatched SDF, or the other Japanese in Iraq, might be attacked. Britain was attacked even though they were extremely alert about terrorism. It is silly to think that terrorists won’t target Japan simply because Arab people easily stand out in this country. We must not make light of global terrorist organizations. There are collaborators among Asians and even Japanese.

I remind you that they took a long time to prepare for the attacks. It probably goes without saying that Japan will be the next target; however, they might spend half a year preparing. If the new Iraqi government is established this year, and Japan could withdraw the SDF from Iraq without damaging relations with America, there’s a possibility that Japan can escape from a terrorist attack or the tragedy of the SDF. Japan would have to be amazingly lucky.

Japan has failed in Asian diplomacy and couldn't be a permanent member of the Security Council. Japan-China relations have deteriorated because of two national leaders. First, the ex-Premier of the People's Republic of China, Jiang Zemin, repeated a speech that condemns the past Japanese invasion and aroused anti-China feeling in Japan. Next, Prime Minister Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine four times, and made it impossible for the Chinese government to move toward better relations with Japan. Diplomatically, Japan is trying to prevent Europe from exporting weapons to China, and China is trying to prevent Japan from becoming a permanent member of the Security Council. These trends are both unfavorable to the growth of each nation. I hope the next administration will change these gloomy Asian relations.