Now Is the Time to Build an East Asian Strategy | Tomoyuki Kojima (Dean of the Faculty of Policy Management)
February 16, 2006
"If Japan-U.S. relations become close, we can build good relationships with China, South Korea, and the international community." Regarding the deteriorating Japan-China and Japan-South Korea relations over the issue of visits to Yasukuni Shrine, Prime Minister Koizumi stated this and expressed optimism, saying that the Yasukuni issue is "not such a big problem in the long run."
It is true that the Japan-U.S. alliance is the cornerstone of Japanese diplomacy and that "close Japan-U.S. relations" are of utmost importance. In that sense, Prime Minister Koizumi's perception is correct. However, despite these "close Japan-U.S. relations," the reality is that our relationships with China and South Korea can hardly be called "good." And while it is true that the Yasukuni issue is "not such a big problem in the long run," it must also be acknowledged that it has caused problems in the short term.
The East Asian region, including China and South Korea, has now become as important to Japan as the United States. While trade with the U.S. accounts for only about 20% of Japan's total foreign trade, East Asia already accounts for 50%. This East Asian region is now seriously moving from cooperation to integration. Last December, 16 countries—the 10 ASEAN nations, Japan, China, South Korea, plus India, Australia, and New Zealand—held the first East Asia Summit and agreed to realize a future "East Asian Community." And what will have a decisive impact on that future is the cooperation of the three countries of Japan, China, and South Korea, which account for nearly 90% of the region's total GDP. The current strained relationship is truly problematic.
Policies toward China and South Korea must be advanced within a diplomatic strategy for an East Asia moving toward cooperation and integration, while maintaining the Japan-U.S. alliance as its cornerstone. Unfortunately, however, the East Asian strategy that connects the Japan-U.S. alliance with policies toward China and South Korea has remained unclear. The greatest diplomatic challenge for the post-Koizumi administration lies in building an East Asian strategy.
I hope that SFC will produce leaders who will be involved in building such strategies and in formulating and implementing policies. This year, the number of applicants for the general entrance examination at Keio University increased overall, and SFC was no exception, with an increase of 446 applicants for the Faculty of Policy Management, 236 for the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, and 198 for the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care. My expectations are growing even higher.
(Date of publication: February 16, 2006)