Looking at the speed with which Japan is reacting to North Korea’s missile test, one is reminded of the Korean expression, "getting slapped when you were already desperate to cry." Japan has submitted a sanctions resolution based on Article VII of the United Nations Charter to the UN Security Council and is at the forefront of the international community’s hard-line approach to the situation. Over the weekend, it tried to push its resolution to a vote, but agreed to a postponement because the prevailing mood at the council was to wait and see what Chinese mediation might be able to do. Japan has not relaxed its overall stance, however.
One can certainly understand Japan’s serious concern about North Korean missiles in light of the fact that the North has declared it has nuclear weapons. However, while Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso later explained the remark by saying he had been joking, you can see what his intentions are when he said that he felt grateful to North Korean National Defence Commission chairman Kim Jong-il.
When it was widely reported that North Korea launched a satellite in August 1998, one member of the Japanese cabinet pushed a vote through the diet on laws underpinning long-treasured beliefs of the Japanese right, such as stronger U.S.-Japanese ties, protection of the Japanese flag and national anthem, and the ability to eavesdrop. Currently, key members of Koizumi’s cabinet are talking about the need to consider a preemptive strike on North Korean missile sites. That carries the danger of leading to more military spending and discussion about revising the constitution, precisely in order to guarantee the ability to engage in such a strike.
Being willing to engage in preemptive attacks is a military approach that was taken by the Bush administration, and brought about its isolation from the international community. It is shocking to have Japan openly pushing for international discussion about a preemptive attack when it has so long been proud of its Peace Constitution and civil defense measures. It is enough to make one think that a North Korean missile fell to the ground in Tokyo, causing, among other things, Japan’s most symbolic building to fall.
We feel we must issue a serious warning about talk of a preemptive strike on the part of Japanese cabinet members, men who seem to lack historical consciousness. It cannot be denied that the fundamental responsibility for the continued division of the Korean Peninsula and the pain of the 10 million separated families lies with Japan. The war economy driven by the Korean conflict directly influenced Japan’s economic rise following World War II. It is licentious and inexcusable of Japan to not even hesitate to talk about a preemptive attack, something that could bring the disaster of war to the peninsula again, and to pursue a resolution for sanctions without prior consultation with the South Korean government.
[Editorial] Japan’s ’preemptive attack’ plan lacks sense of history |
