Stronger PHL-Japan military ties may not happen soon, says expert

From the Business World (Jan 30): Stronger PHL-Japan military ties may not happen soon, says expert

MANILA and Tokyo may not enhance its military ties in the foreseeable future although that may be a possibility once a workable maritime alliance among nations is forged, an expert on Japanese foreign policy said Friday.

In light of news that Japan may expand the reach of its aerial patrols over the South China Sea -- an area currently being claimed by China, the Philippines, and several countries -- Kunihiko Miyake of Canon Institute for Global Studies said that military cooperation between both countries may be limited to assistance.

Asked if Japan’s move to expand its aerial patrols would affect the tension it has with China, Mr. Miyake said: “We are not allies, and we don’t defend you-we defend ourselves. So, we help you defend yourselves, so we’re not going to fight together.”

“The Filipinos have to... have your own strategic course, and then again, you think about the means to achieve that strategic course and then you define how to achieve it tactically and then you think about other countries including Japan. What Japan can do for you is help achieve those goals,” he said at the sidelines of a lecture at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“I don’t think Japan-Filipino relations come first. The strategic course you have to define, and then there’s the role of Japan to play,” he added.

A senior United States Navy officer told Reuters that the superpower would welcome Japan’s expansion of aerial patrols into the contested South China Sea -- most of which is claimed by China.

The Philippines claims some features of the Spratly Islands as part of its exclusive economic zone, which the Asian powerhouse said would infringe on its “indisputable sovereignty.”

Increased cooperation by Japan with maritime countries would serve as a counterweight to China, said Mr. Miyake.

“China is so big, we need like-minded nations, if not necessarily NATO,” he said in his lecture on the geopolitical implications of Japan’s foreign policy.

The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has batted for a more liberal interpretation of the Japanese Constitution’s provision outlawing war, to permit the country to maintain de jure military forces.

Calling Mr. Abe the “most realistic, pragmatic politician I have ever seen,” Mr. Miyake described his policy as “not passive, but proactive.”

Asked in an open forum if a military forces agreement may take hold in light of Japan’s military expansion, Mr. Miyake said: “If the Philippines has some kind of mechanism or scheme to maintain the status quo, we may need it. This is a long shot. I don’t think this will happen soon.”

But he added he “won’t deny that possibility,” provided there is a more workable alliance among maritime nations.

Mr. Miyake, however, said that “we are not confronting China. We are watching them.” Japan, he said, wanted to avoid “unnecessary friction,” owing to the country’s aggression during the Second World War, which he described as “a mistake 60 years ago.”

“Just join us and the rest of the international community. We don’t have to escalate,” he urged China.

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=stronger-phl-japan-military-ties-may-not-happen-soon-says-expert&id=101866