Not to Overturn North, but to Lead It to Change Gradually

Foreign Affairs Task Force, an advisory body to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, predicted that the growing military power of China would threaten Japan and the neighboring countries, reported Nihon Keizai yesterday. The task force urged countermeasures on the part of the Japanese government.

This advisory body, consisting of 9 military experts, submitted a report on Nov. 28th to Prime Minister Koizumi and argued, "The Sino-Japanese relationship is in an area where cooperation and coexistence, and competition and friction cannot help overlapping each other. The relations with China occupy the most important theme of the Japanese foreign policies in the early 21st century." Then, it moved on to suggest, regarding the increasing military power of China, that Japan should demand transparency of the Chinese military budget.

On North Korea, it contended, "The purpose of Japanese foreign policy toward North is not to overturn North Korea`s system, but to change its political and economic systems gradually." Then, it concluded that Japan should lead North to be a member of the international community.

The report defined South Korea as the most important "regional strategic partner," which shares with Japan three systems: democracy, market economy and alliance with the United States. It pointed out the enactment of a free trade agreement with South Korea as the most urgent issue between the two countries.

In the meanwhile, the report recommended that Japan should review its relationship with the United States regarding national security. The report cautioned that citizens of both countries do not have firm trust in the alliance of the two.

hanscho@donga.com