Land of the rising problem

Misdirection [By Gou Ben/China.org.cn]

In his speech at the Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam on May 26, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reiterated the terms of the Cairo Declaration regarding territory stolen from China by Japan. "The 'Cairo Declaration' states that all the territories that Japan stole from China, such as Northeast China, Taiwan and related islands, shall be restored to China," said Li. He continued: "The Chinese people will not accept any comments or actions that seek to deny or glorify the history of fascist aggression; nor are these [comments or actions] acceptable to the forces of justice elsewhere that value peace."

Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany, is the site of the "Potsdam Proclamation" which was issued in 1945. Li's speech also touched on the recent cooling of Sino-Japanese relations which has coincided with Shinzo Abe's second stint as Japan's prime minister. In addition to chillier Sin-Japanese relations, Abe's return to power appears to have led to a deepening of divisions between Japan, South Korea and the Unites States in terms of how history is interpreted regarding certain events. The current conflict could be seen as a fight between those who wish to protect Japan's domestic and international order established after World War II and those who wish to subvert it.

On the domestic side, Abe and his cabinet appear set to amend Japan's Constitution in order to boost Japan's defense and redesignate the Emperor as the Head of State. Japan's Constitution, which was enacted on May 3, 1947 as a new constitution for postwar Japan, is regarded as a mechanism of self-restraint ensuring that the country develops in a peaceful manner. Japan's current right-wing politicians, however, appear determined to cast off these constitutional constraints and by doing so lead the whole nation to a dangerous abyss.

In terms of the international order, Abe and Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are looking to overthrow the postwar international system and order in East Asia by replacing the Potsdam Proclamation, Cairo Declaration and UN Charter with the so-called San Francisco Peace Treaty. It is likely that such a path will bring more misery to both Japan and the people of Asia.

Japan's current political lurch to the right has entered a new stage, with the country's right-wing politicians now controlling the House of Representatives, and looking likely to gain more seats at the upcoming Senate election in July. If Abe and the LDP can obtain the required 2/3 supermajority of the House and Senate, they will be able to realize their aim of constitutional amendment. Against such a backdrop, it is little wonder that the joint leader of the nationalist Japan Restoration Party Toru Hashimoto made his controversial comments about "comfort women." It is a comment clearly designed to appeal to nationalistic sentiment.

Goshi Hosono, secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) pointed out that Toru Hashimoto's comments amount to an admission that the Restoration Party is firmly aligned to the far-right. Japan's Your Party has ended all cooperation with the Restoration Party for the forthcoming election, with other parties also distancing themselves.

What's interesting is that despite the strongly-worded criticisms aimed at Toru Hashimoto, the U.S. government appears more polite in its dealings with Abe and his cabinet. Despite Abe's insistence that the LDP has "a different position" than Toru Hashimoto, a DPJ secretary stressed that "the understanding of history between the LDP and the Restoration Party is very similar."

Currently, the LDP is eager to distract domestic and international public attention from Abe's inaccurate historical perspective to Toru Hashimoto and the Restoration Party. If, however, they are victorious in the upcoming Senate election in July, the two parties will likely stand together on the issue of constitutional amendment.

In the event that Japan breaks its domestic self-restraint and amends its constitution, the questions of dealing with the "Japanese problem" and maintaining a global balance are certain to become pressing issues. It is crucial that the international order established after World War II is maintained.

The author is the vice director of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University and a member of the 21st Century Committee for China-Japan Friendship.

The article was first published in Chinese and translated by Lin Liyao.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.