Japan and India support a free and open Indo-Pacific region: China isn’t boosting allies
Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The government of China isn’t creating further divisions in Northeast Asia or the Asia Pacific region. However, Japan is constantly upping the ante by endless bi-lateral – and multi-lateral – power plays aimed at China.
Of course, the mantra is “an open and free Indo-Pacific.” However, in reality, Japan is further isolating itself in Northeast Asia. Similarly, it will just make the Russian Federation more suspicious and both Korea’s are not in the Japan camp. Hence, apart from Taiwan, it is clear that Japan once more looks outside its own geopolitical region in defending itself.
China’s territorial ambitions also need to be checked in Beijing. After all, nations that seek to contain China will utilize this angle. Hence, China should seek compromises and joint initiatives with various nations in Asia that overlap areas of contention. If so, the anti-China voices in Canberra, Mumbai, Tokyo, and Washington will lose an important angle to their collective propaganda.
Thus when the Defense Minister of Japan Kishi Nobuo spoke with his counterpart from India, Rajnath Singh, the usual China angle emerged. Therefore, both nations agreed to further the open and free angle to the Indo-Pacific region.
NHK reports, “They agreed that the two countries strongly oppose any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by coercion or any activities that escalate tension. The remarks apparently refer to China’s increasing activity in the East and South China seas.”
Likewise, Kishi espoused the importance of further military cooperation between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States – and other nations that share a similar democratic containment policy aimed at China. However, historically wise, two of these nations tried to impose their own ambitions and geopolitical goals on nations throughout the Asia Pacific and further afield when applied to America.
China’s best policy is to reduce territorial tensions with several Asia Pacific nations and to reach out in Northeast Asia. Likewise, it is time for Japan to focus on better relations in Northeast Asia instead of focusing on outside nations to such an extent.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201223_02/
PLEASE SUPPORT MODERN TOKYO TIMES by DONATING
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
DONATIONS to SUPPORT MODERN TOKYO TIMES – please pay PayPal and DONATE to sawakoart@gmail.com
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi personal website and Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times
https://www.facebook.com/moderntokyotimes/ Facebook