Japan's UN seat bid could be difficult
chinadaily.com.cn  Updated: 2005-04-23 11:43

Japan attempts to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and a Chinese expert on Japan said three factors are hampering its bid to be a "political power."

Jin Xide, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, analyzed Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

First, does Japan have the qualifications to be the permanent member in the UNSC?

Many would ask: how could the people imagine that a country with no independence in its foreign affairs at all would be able to help maintain international justice? When it comes to international issues, Japan just follows USA and is controlled by USA.

Japan has become a loyal ally of USA in the Iraqi war, a war waged without the UN permission. Even now Japan is the only country in the world to hold this theory: No WMD found in Iraq does not mean that there is no WMD.

Japan attempts to restrict Asian countries by flaunting its powerful connection -- USA. If Japan becomes a permanent member in the UNSC, Uncle Sam's unilateralism could be boosted, which is no good for the peace and development in the world.

Second, how could Japan be a permanent member in UNSC on behalf of Asia while still whitewashing its wartime atrocities?
Not long ago, Japan barbarically colonized Korea for 36 years. And it also carried aggression wars in China and Southeast Asian countries. Tens of millions of people were slew. Treasures were robbed. However, Japanese politicians constantly deny these wartime atrocities. Koizumi has visited the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo where the biggest war criminals of WWII are worshiped. And then a history textbook distorting WWII history was approved by Japan's education ministry. It's only natural that people would ask this question: on behalf of whom is Japan going to become a permanent member in the UNSC? "
Third, how can Japan obtain enough support from neighboring countries if it incurs the dislike of the neighbors?
Japanese government goes against neighbor countries including China, South Korea and Russia on the issues of territory over the land and sea. Japan holds the policy of cottoning to the remote but not to the neighborhood, attempting to hooking in the support from Latin America and Africa and compelling the neighboring Asian countries to give in. Facing this fact, the Asian neighbors have enough reason to say "No" to Japan's dreaming of becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
And above all, money could hardly bring Japan sufficient qualifications. If Japan wants to have its dream come true, it must try its best to show its sincerity and ability of promoting the establishment of an international order based on justice and rationale. Japan has to give up its blind faith in money diplomacy.
If Japan became a permanent member in UNSC, its blind side, including the denial of wartime atrocities and non-independent foreign policy, would be exposed to the whole world. Thus, Japan would have to face more criticism from the world for its own violation of world justice.

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