Japan’s salient call for American leadership

Something quite remarkable happened during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Washington last week. Although it was not an extensive bilateral agreement, there was much to admire in an alliance that was now truly global in nature. There was also no evidence that Mr. Kishida had given a speech at the joint session of Congress. There was not even a trilateral summit that included Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which emphasized cooperation among U.S. allies against Chinese aggression.

No, what stood out last week was the fact that the Japanese leader appeared before Congress and told the United States to act like a world power.

Historically, the roles have been reversed. For much of the Cold War, the United States urged Japan to become involved in world affairs beyond mere economic issues. During the waning years of the Cold War, and especially after its end, Washington put tremendous pressure on Tokyo to behave in a manner commensurate with its economic power. During the Gulf War, the George H.W. When the United States finally dispatched minesweepers to the Persian Gulf after the war, it criticized Japan’s aid as “too little, too late.”

Ten years later, history almost repeated itself with the Iraq War. The United States once again urged Japan to become involved, especially since much of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East. This time, the pressure was more concrete: to “keep our feet on the ground” and “raise the flag” as visible members of the coalition. The Junichiro Koizumi administration achieved impressive results, leading to the revitalization of the Japan-U.S. alliance, which has been in accelerating mode ever since.

There are other examples, and Japan even has its own word for the pressure exerted by the United States: “Beiatsu” (literally, “American pressure”).

The United States’ frustration is understandable. Japan, a powerful economy with global economic power and advanced defense capabilities, has always avoided involvement outside of its national interests. However, Japan was bound by its own history. Concerned about how other countries would react, and perhaps lacking confidence in its own abilities, the Japanese government decided it would be easier to leave the heavy lifting of maintaining international order to the United States. Washington may have been comfortable playing the role of the world’s policeman, but when seeking support from allies, especially after the Cold War, Japan often provided only financial support.The result was disappointment in the United States.

But Tokyo noticed. The past two decades have seen a marked change in Japan’s behavior. Unfortunately, many in Washington have overlooked Japan’s emergence as a more active player in defending the international order.

Whether it is Japan’s strong support for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Assistance to regional countries in support of maritime domain awareness and coast guard capabilities. Alternatively, Japan is finding an opening in its growing voice on issues not traditionally tied directly to its own defense, such as the future of Taiwan and Ukraine. Currently, they are cooperating in a “mini-lateral” system that includes Australia, the United Kingdom, India, South Korea, and other countries. Perhaps the shining example of this proactive Japan is the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy, which other countries, including the United States itself, have adopted as their own.

So let’s talk about last week’s speech. For a country whose international commitments have been undervalued or historically criticized by the United States for shirking responsibility, Japan’s prime minister has turned the tables on Washington in a way that few expected. .

Mr. Kishida’s speech powerfully emphasized the importance of American leadership in the world. He reminded Congress that the United States, through all aspects of national power, shaped the international order of the postwar world. He also reminded the audience that America stands for freedom and democracy, including making “noble sacrifices” when necessary to “fulfill our commitment to a better world.” I let it happen. “The world needs the United States to continue to play a vital role in national affairs,” Kishida said in a line clearly intended for isolationists in the chamber.

Mr. Kishida’s approach was clever. He was not criticizing the United States, but told the floor that he sensed an “undercurrent of self-doubt” among some about the role the United States should play in the world. Mr. Kishida then flipped the decades-old “Bayatsu” script and spoke about the many challenges facing the world today, asserting that America is not alone. While Mr. Kishida recognized the essential nature of U.S. leadership and pointed out the potential dangers that await the United States if it shied away from its responsibilities, he said Japan stands shoulder to shoulder with the United States as one of its closest friends. He told lawmakers he encouraged the United States to meet these obligations. Responsibility again.

Japan clearly takes its role as an ally of the United States seriously. We have undertaken a number of initiatives domestically to enable a more proactive stance in all aspects of national power. Given the history of Beiatsu, it is welcome that over the past two decades Japan has emerged as a partner willing and able to shoulder a greater burden in maintaining international order.

That makes Kishida’s speech so remarkable, highlighting Japan’s concerns about tensions in American politics that do not assert America’s global leadership. Still, unlike previous US criticisms of Japan, Kishida’s speech contained no condemnation or condemnation. His is simply a plea from one of America’s closest allies to members of Congress to come back and be the champions of the international order that America knows it can be.

Jeffrey W. Hornung is Japan Director of National Security Studies and a senior political scientist at Rand University. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.