QUOTE
Should East Asia be defined politically, or geographically? That is a crucial question to be asked ahead of the inaugural East Asia Summit (EAS) in Malaysia. The summit next month will see the presence of Asean +3 (China, Japan and South Korea) and also India, Australia and New Zealand.
However, questions have been raised about Japan's enthusiasm for the summit because of the high value it places on its ties with the United States. The comments by Japan's foreign minister, Mr Taro Aso, about "US first, Asia second" may reinforce doubts about Japan's commitment towards East Asia.
No one doubts the importance of Japan-US ties, just as no one would underestimate the importance of getting Sino-US relations right if the stability of the region must be assured.
However, while China has been working hard to maintain a proactive and responsible regional policy in Asia, Japanese policy towards Asia has at best been unclear and, at worst, raised serious questions about Japanese perception of itself and its relations with the rest of Asia.
One wonders if Japan, although geographically located in East Asia, considers itself politically and psychologically East Asian.
Many East Asians, especially those colonised by Japan, have perhaps harboured suspicions, justified or not, that Japanese see themselves as closer to the West than to the East. But do the Japanese see themselves as Asians? In a way, such ambivalence about whether they are part of Asia is akin to Britain just after the World War II - it was Britain and Europe, not Britain in Europe.
Britain has now been in the European Community for more than 30 years, but it continues to search for an answer to former US Secretary of State Dean Acheson's comment that "Great Britain has lost an empire and not yet found a role". Some British still "cling on" to the "special relationship" it has with the US and which the US uses to its fullest advantage.
What role should Japan play in East Asia? The answer is inextricably tied to how the US looks upon attempts to create an East Asian community. While the US then supported the creation of the European community, Washington today wants to maintain a hub-and-spoke relationship with East Asia, clearly with itself as the hub. The US finds it hard to adjust to changes in the regional power structure in which China is accepted as an equal. This is harder under the current administration with its swath of neo-conservative hawks.
Should Japan allow its ties with the US to dominate all considerations of its foreign policy? What are the choices for Japan?
According to Mr Chalmers Johnson, President of the Japan Policy Research Institute, since the end of the Cold War, the US has repeatedly pressured Japan to revise Article 9 of its constitution (renouncing the use of force except as a matter of self-defence) and become what US officials call a "normal nation". Japan under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has pushed hard for the statute revision, but if being "normal" means playing poodle to the US, it may be a high price to pay.
Japan is now in an acute dilemma. It accepts to play second fiddle to the US for a number of reasons easy to understand. The problem is that such a foreign policy paints a picture of Japan as an unquestioning ally of US, supporting all US policies uncritically. This may not really be the case, but that perception exists, making it difficult for Japan to manoeuvre.
Japan must be bold enough to look beyond the US in formulating a foreign policy strategy for the 21st Century. In this time and age, it needs all the more to develop a well-defined Asian strategy, and not see Asia as of lesser importance. Nationalistic sentiments need to be kept in check and an open Japan willing to partake whole-heartedly in the construction of a new Asia together with China is the best possible scenario for the region. Relying on nationalism and turning to the past offers no prospect.
Asean can play an important role to facilitate Japan's "return" to Asia by reaffirming its strong ties with Japan and help Tokyo recover its self-confidence to remain an open, globally-oriented nation. To do that, Asean itself must be confident, well-integrated and strong.
The Asians are at a crossroads - the region needs a locomotive, a strong engine to propel ahead, or it will forever be dependent on the West and unable to engage constructively and effectively with the rest to ensure a peaceful regional and global order. This is something that the leaders at the East Asia summit must grapple with.
However, questions have been raised about Japan's enthusiasm for the summit because of the high value it places on its ties with the United States. The comments by Japan's foreign minister, Mr Taro Aso, about "US first, Asia second" may reinforce doubts about Japan's commitment towards East Asia.
No one doubts the importance of Japan-US ties, just as no one would underestimate the importance of getting Sino-US relations right if the stability of the region must be assured.
However, while China has been working hard to maintain a proactive and responsible regional policy in Asia, Japanese policy towards Asia has at best been unclear and, at worst, raised serious questions about Japanese perception of itself and its relations with the rest of Asia.
One wonders if Japan, although geographically located in East Asia, considers itself politically and psychologically East Asian.
Many East Asians, especially those colonised by Japan, have perhaps harboured suspicions, justified or not, that Japanese see themselves as closer to the West than to the East. But do the Japanese see themselves as Asians? In a way, such ambivalence about whether they are part of Asia is akin to Britain just after the World War II - it was Britain and Europe, not Britain in Europe.
Britain has now been in the European Community for more than 30 years, but it continues to search for an answer to former US Secretary of State Dean Acheson's comment that "Great Britain has lost an empire and not yet found a role". Some British still "cling on" to the "special relationship" it has with the US and which the US uses to its fullest advantage.
What role should Japan play in East Asia? The answer is inextricably tied to how the US looks upon attempts to create an East Asian community. While the US then supported the creation of the European community, Washington today wants to maintain a hub-and-spoke relationship with East Asia, clearly with itself as the hub. The US finds it hard to adjust to changes in the regional power structure in which China is accepted as an equal. This is harder under the current administration with its swath of neo-conservative hawks.
Should Japan allow its ties with the US to dominate all considerations of its foreign policy? What are the choices for Japan?
According to Mr Chalmers Johnson, President of the Japan Policy Research Institute, since the end of the Cold War, the US has repeatedly pressured Japan to revise Article 9 of its constitution (renouncing the use of force except as a matter of self-defence) and become what US officials call a "normal nation". Japan under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has pushed hard for the statute revision, but if being "normal" means playing poodle to the US, it may be a high price to pay.
Japan is now in an acute dilemma. It accepts to play second fiddle to the US for a number of reasons easy to understand. The problem is that such a foreign policy paints a picture of Japan as an unquestioning ally of US, supporting all US policies uncritically. This may not really be the case, but that perception exists, making it difficult for Japan to manoeuvre.
Japan must be bold enough to look beyond the US in formulating a foreign policy strategy for the 21st Century. In this time and age, it needs all the more to develop a well-defined Asian strategy, and not see Asia as of lesser importance. Nationalistic sentiments need to be kept in check and an open Japan willing to partake whole-heartedly in the construction of a new Asia together with China is the best possible scenario for the region. Relying on nationalism and turning to the past offers no prospect.
Asean can play an important role to facilitate Japan's "return" to Asia by reaffirming its strong ties with Japan and help Tokyo recover its self-confidence to remain an open, globally-oriented nation. To do that, Asean itself must be confident, well-integrated and strong.
The Asians are at a crossroads - the region needs a locomotive, a strong engine to propel ahead, or it will forever be dependent on the West and unable to engage constructively and effectively with the rest to ensure a peaceful regional and global order. This is something that the leaders at the East Asia summit must grapple with.