Japan steps up in its global role

In the early 70s, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger mistakenly believed that as China grew in wealth on the back of the free trade system, the communist nation would abandon its Maoist principles and embrace western values. Upon Kissinger’s advice, President Nixon ushered in China’s entry into the free trade system. Years later, President Clinton took it a step further by facilitating China’s membership in the World Trade Organization. China’s economic miracle followed.

It was a disastrous miscalculation on America’s part. China never abandoned its Maoist values even amid its newfound prosperity. Instead, it used its wealth to build its military and political influence. Its purpose? To dismantle the US-led world order and replace it with a system that reflects the values of the Chinese Communist Party.

Japan, however, has been more circumspect about China since the beginning. It knows too well what it takes to change a people’s mindset from one that wages war for hegemonic ambitions to one that operates with humility and abides by the rules.

With first-hand experience, Japan knows that a country needs to lose a war and have its economy demolished. It needs to infuse democratic principles into its constitution. It needs to de-militarize or at least, re-orient its military from one whose purpose is offensive combat to one that operates for territorial defense. Above all, it must purge the radicals in government. Only then will its people have a change of values.

None of these have happened to China – not yet, at least. Until this happens, China will persist with its streak of bad behavior and operate for its sole interest.

Even during the early days of China’s economic ascent, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recognized China’s threat to global security. To this, he proposed that four great democracies – Japan, India, Australia and the United States – work together to quell China’s hegemonic ambitions. This was in 2006. It was then that the world adopted Abe’s concept of a Pacific region that included India and Australia.

In 2018, the US changed the name of its Pacific combatant from the “Pacific Command” to the “Indo Pacific Command.” Abe was the first foreign