Greetings,
"The Council on East Asian Community (CEAC) E-Letter" is delivered electronically bimonthly, free of charge, to readers in the world interested in Japanese thinking on an East Asian Community and other related international affairs by the Council on East Asian Community (CEAC), all-Japan intellectual platform for the study of an East Asian Community.
It will provide the global audience with our news on "CEAC Commentary" and "CEAC Updates."
If you wish to unsubscribe, please enter your email address in the "unsubscribe" box at the following link:
http://www.ceac.jp/e/e-letter/unsubscribe.html
ITO Kenichi
President, CEAC
"CEAC Commentary"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"CEAC Commentary" presents views of members and friends of CEAC on an East Asian Community and other related international affairs. The view expressed herein is the author's own and should not be attributed to CEAC.
----------------- - - - -----------------
Prime Minister Noda's Negativism toward an "East Asian Community" Contradicts the National Interest of Japan
By KIKUCHI Yona
Research Fellow of The Japan Forum
on International Relations
In an essay entitled "My Political Philosophy" contributed to a monthly magazine "VOICE" in September, Prime Minister NODA Yoshihiko highlighted the "adherence to the Japan-U.S. alliance" and also mentioned as follows: "Next year will see leadership changes in many countries which may bring political instability. We need not develop a great vision of an East Asian Community now." Considering the reckless behavior of China over the Senkaku Islands issue and that of Russia over the Northern Territories issue, PM Noda may well emphasize the Japan-U.S. alliance as the axis of Japan's foreign policy. Nevertheless, I think it unnecessary to deny the vision of an "East Asian Community." I would like to rebut his negative stance toward an "East Asian Community" by the following two reasons.
Firstly, it is not beneficial for Japan to declare an intention to deny the vision of an "East Asian Community" at this stage. Commencing with the regularization of the ASEAN+3 Summit in 1997, the vision has achieved steady progress along with other state-level agreements in this region. Politically, various multi-layered frameworks as ASEAN+3, EAS and ARF have been established. Economically, AFTA has been launched and other frameworks like CEPEA and EAFTA are also being discussed. In Japan, "East Asian Community" is interpreted as an idea suddenly proposed by then-PM Hatoyama. However, the vision is a fruit of discussions accumulated over more than ten years among the East Asian countries, many of which have been facilitated by Japan's initiative.
Secondly, now that the Asian integration has already started to move forward, if Japan's involvement were weakened the initiative could be taken by China or other countries so that the integration might be promoted in a way Japan does not desire. On top of the political difference, Japan and China hold different attitudes toward the economic integration: Japan prioritizes CEPEA while China does EAFTA. If the integration should be promoted by China's initiative, it will undermine the national interest of Japan in this region.
For those reasons, it is not wise of PM Noda to deny the vision of an "East Asian Community." Instead, Japan should take this vision and claim her own ideal "East Asian Community" in order to nurture democratic concepts and systems in this region which will fit the national interest of Japan.
(This is the English translation of an article which originally appeared on the BBS "Hyakka-Somei" of CEAC on 25 September, 2011, and was posted on "CEAC Commentary" on 19 October, 2011.)
----------------- - - - -----------------
For more views and opinions in the backnumber of "CEAC Commentary," the latest of which are as follows, please refer to:
http://www.ceac.jp/e/commentary/backnumber.html
No.70 Rejuvenate EAS as the Asian Version of OSCE
by YAMASHITA Eiji, Professor Emeritus of Osaka City University
(31 August 2010)
No.69 "We-feeling" of East Asian Countries as Seen in the Wake of the Great Earthquake
by ISHIGAKI Yasuji, Delegate for Japan to AALCO and former Professor of Tokai University
(23 June 2011)
No.68 Reflecting on the "Existence of the Emperor" on 3-11
by HANAOKA Nobuaki, Professor of Takushoku University
(22 April 2011)
No.67 The Anti-Chinese Posture Illuminated in Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting
by SUGIURA Masaaki, Political Commentator
(28 February 2011)
No.66 East Asia Summit featured by the First Participation of U.S. and Russia
by ISHIGAKI Yasuji, Delegate for Japan to AALCO and former Professor of Tokai University
(31 December 2010)
"CEAC Updates"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"CEAC Updates" introduces to you latest events, announcements and/or publications of CEAC.
Event
------------- - - - -------------
The 9th East Asia Forum (EAF) Held
The 9th East Asia Forum (EAF) was held on September 15-17, 2011 in Chengdu, China, which was attended by 73 participants in total from ASEAN+3 countries, including Mr. LIU Zhenmin, Assistant Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. Among them, there were 5 participants from Japan: Mr. ISHIKANE Kimihiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. HIRABAYASHI Hiroshi, Executive Vice President of CEAC and Vice President of JFIR, Mr. TADA Yukio, President and CEO of Sojitz Research Institute, Mr. SASATANI Yoshifumi, Deputy Director of Regional Policy Division of Asian Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. KIKUCHI Yona, Acting Executive Secretary of CEAC and Research Fellow of JFIR.
It was held under the main theme of "Accelerating Regional Integration: Internal Growth Engine of East Asia," which was composed of the Opening Ceremony, the Plenary Session, and the Concurrent Group Discussions...
For more, please refer to:
http://www.ceac.jp/e/exchangEaf.html
====================================================================
Please send your comments and/or questions to:
info@ceac.jp
To customize your subscription, or unsubscribe, please refer to:
http://www.ceac.jp/e/e-letter/e-letter.htm
Officer in Charge: OTA Toru
The Council on East Asian Community
2-17-12-1301, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0052
JAPAN
Tel: +81-3-3584-2193
Fax: +81-3-3505-4406