Newsletter No. 165
January 19, 2006

 

JAPAN’S CENTRAL ASIAN DIPLOMACY

One of our new members, Christopher Len (Shingetsu Member No. 82) of Uppsala University in Sweden, has recently published an article of considerable interest. The citation is as follows:

Christopher Len, “Japan’s Central Asian Diplomacy: Motivations, Implications, and Prospects for the Region,” The China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly, Vol. 3, No. 3, November 2005, pp. 127-149.

What he provides in this article is an overview of Japan’s diplomatic policies towards the Central Asian nations that gained their independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Particularly notable is Len’s attempt to provide an account of the development of the relationship through three distinct phases:

Opening Phase: 1992-1997

Japan eagerly moved into Central Asia as a possible alternative to dealing with the problems of the Russian Far East and because they felt some level of kinship with the peoples of the region. This period was successful in establishing warm relations, but there was too much focus on over-ambitious projects and not enough clear, realistic thinking about long-term strategies. Business development often fell short of expectations.

Hashimoto’s Eurasian Diplomacy: 1997-2004

Named for former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, this period saw Japanese policymakers take a clearer, more far-sighted approach to the region. The new ‘Silk Road’ or ‘Eurasian’ diplomacy was more focused on helping the Central Asian nations reach their long-term development goals. While many Western governments seemed more interested in get-rich-quick schemes, Japan began to establish partnerships in the region the emphasized trust and mutual development. For a variety of reasons, the Central Asian nations themselves became more interested in the ‘Asian Model’ of development in these years.

Central Asia Plus Japan: Since 2004

In August 2004, the first meeting of Central Asia Plus Japan was held. This initiative was designed both to create stronger dialogue between Japan and the region, and also to facilitate more cooperation among the Central Asian states themselves. The inaugural meeting seemed successful, and was supposed to be followed by another in August 2005. However, as previously noted by Shingetsu, that meeting was cancelled due to the postal privatization crisis and the snap elections held in Japan in September 2005.

The latter section of the paper considers how the Central Asia Plus Japan framework relates to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The SCO was launched in 1994 and includes Russia and China together with four Central Asian states. Len finds that Central Asia Plus Japan framework provides a useful alternative and even complement to the SCO. There are clearly some elements of both rivalry and cooperation that are possible between the two frameworks. Central Asian nations can welcome the Japanese role as a “balancing force” to the SCO. Len believes that Central Asia Plus Japan may play a significant role in coming years.

The article is available by PDF on the internet. I invite all interested members to take a look at his full paper. It will be a useful starting point to consider as we trace the future development of Japanese-Central Asian relations.

In addition to his own article, Professor Len has also drawn our attention to two other relevant articles that are freely available on the internet:

S. Frederick Starr, "A Strong Japanese Initiative in Central Asia" Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, October 20, 2004.

Tomohiko Uyama, "Japanese Policies in Relation to Kazakhstan: Is There a Strategy?" in Thinking Strategically, ed. Robert Legvold (Cambridge MA: MIT Press, March 2003).