Deepen Japan-U.S. alliance for common strategic goals
It is significant that comprehensive documents on the Japan-U.S. alliance have been compiled even under the administration led by the Democratic Party of Japan.
The foreign and defense ministers of the two countries, who are members of the Security Consultative Committee, met in Washington on Tuesday to discuss security issues and confirm the deepening of the alliance. A joint statement issued after the meeting outlines new common strategic objectives and covers security challenges in Asia and elsewhere.
Especially noteworthy in the statement is the strong sense of wariness over China's strengthening of its military might in recent years as well as its penetrating demands to Beijing in this regard. The statement calls for encouraging China's "adherence to international norms of behavior" and "improving openness and transparency with respect to China's military modernization and activities."
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China major cause of concern
The statement, without naming any particular country, points to the need "to continue to address challenges posed by the increasingly uncertain security environment, which includes the expanding military capabilities and activities in the [Asia-Pacific] region."
The statement also takes up "the emergence of nontraditional security concerns, and other evolving threats, such as to outer space, to the high seas, and to cyberspace." This reference was also made with China in mind.
China's recent modernization of its military and maritime activities are conspicuous, causing friction with its neighbors in the area bounded by the East China and South China seas.
To wean China away from its self-centered behavior, Japan and the United States must first strengthen their alliance further and then seek to hold repeated and tenacious dialogues with Beijing to encourage it to act responsibly.
It is also indispensable for Tokyo and Washington to strengthen tripartite alliances with South Korea and with Australia as well as to work together with India and Southeast Asian nations.
Common strategic objectives toward Pyongyang call for "deterring provocations by North Korea and achieving the complete and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea."
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North Korean threat
North Korea's nuclear capabilities and missiles pose realistic threats to Japan. To avert North Korean military action like the attack on a South Korean warship last year, it is essential for Japan, the United States and South Korea to work together and seek close cooperation with China.
With respect to Japan-U.S. defense cooperation, the joint statement calls for, among other things, working out more elaborate contingency response plans, expanding Japan-U.S. joint military exercises and establishing logistic support outposts for disaster rescue operations. These measures must be implemented steadily.
It was a valuable experience for the Self-Defense Forces and U.S. troops to work together in rescue operations and reconstruction work in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The experience should be reflected in formulating future joint operations and training.
On the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, the ministers agreed to push back the deadline for relocation of the Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture to "the earliest possible date" after 2014, the original deadline. In this connection, we can only blame former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's flip-flopping on the relocation issue for causing the deadlock in negotiations with local residents.
Retaining the Futenma base in the current location should be avoided. The DPJ-led government must face up to its responsibility and persuade local residents in this respect. Prime Minister Naoto Kan's visit Thursday to Okinawa Prefecture should be the first step toward that goal.
We need nuclear energy, so let's make it safe
A new declaration adopted at a ministerial meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency should be the first step to implementing the lessons learned from the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to improve the safety of nuclear reactors around the world.
IAEA members in Vienna on Monday adopted the declaration, which focuses on strengthening functions of the U.N. agency that oversees global nuclear safety.
The ministers' declaration points out the necessity of checking safety measures at nuclear reactors around the world in the wake of the ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.
As for efforts by the international community, it proposes reviewing safety standards of nuclear reactors and introducing a new system to assess the safety of reactors in countries around the world with nuclear experts sent by the IAEA.
The declaration also says it is important to release information quickly and constantly when a nuclear accident happens, and stresses that emergency preparedness and training should be enhanced.
Fears of possible nuclear accidents are spreading globally. It is a matter of course that the IAEA has started efforts to strengthen monitoring and safety measures of nuclear reactors around the world.
The government must cooperate fully with the IAEA. It also has heavy responsibility for contributing to the improvement of nuclear technology in the world.
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Intl safety standards needed
Around the world, there are 75 nuclear reactors under construction and plans exist to build an additional 91. Following the example of newly emerging countries, such as China and India, that are promoting the construction of reactors, several developing countries in the Middle East and Asia are planning to introduce their own nuclear power plants.
However, common nuclear safety standards have not yet been established. Emerging countries planning full-scale use of nuclear power strongly object to tightening of regulations because enhancement of safety costs them more money.
The IAEA is called a nuclear watchdog, but it is not easy even for the U.N. agency to ensure countries with nuclear reactors take appropriate safety measures.
Today, international cooperation has become more important than ever. Developing an international relief system to deal with a nuclear crisis is one necessary step. Assisting developing countries by providing nuclear technology is another.
Japan, which has promoted nuclear power generation for decades, must play a leading role in such collaborations.
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Japan must make bigger effort
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda explained how and why the nuclear crisis happened at the Fukushima No. 1 plant as well as the government's efforts to settle it in a speech at the IAEA ministerial meeting. He stressed that there is no safety problem to keep the other reactors in Japan from resuming operations because they have already been through two rounds of emergency safety improvements.
Japan's efforts might have obtained some understanding from the other IAEA members, but it will be difficult for the country to regain international trust completely until it manages to resolve the ongoing nuclear crisis.
It is an urgent issue in Japan now to resume operations of nuclear reactors that have been suspended for regular checkups. Shortages of electricity must not hold down the nation's economic growth. Nor must they slow the reconstruction of areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which will soon move into high gear.
The government needs to continue persistent efforts to win the understanding of people at home and abroad over its responses to the nuclear crisis and improvement of reactors' safety in Japan.
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