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The emerging axis of
democracy
By Hisane Masaki
TOKYO - In a move very likely to alarm
China, Japan and Australia have signed a historic
joint security declaration calling for closer
cooperation on terrorism, proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction, disaster relief, and
peacekeeping.
This is Japan's second
bilateral security deal, the other being the
Japan-US Security Treaty dating back about half a
century. The Japan-Australia pact is seen by many
observers as underscoring a looming
US-Australia-Japan axis of democracy, primarily
aimed
at
keeping in check China, a rapidly ascending
military as well as economic power in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Despite strong
domestic criticism, both Tokyo and Canberra have
strongly supported the US-led war in Iraq by
dispatching troops there. The Japan-Australia
security pact is seen by some as being partly
aimed at diluting the widespread public impression
in both countries that their leaders focus too
much on their alliance with the US.
At
their meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday evening,
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his
Australian counterpart, John Howard, signed the
security pact, which specifically calls for close
intelligence sharing and joint military exercises
for disaster relief and United Nations
peacekeeping operations. The document also
stipulates the establishment of so-called ''two
plus two'' ministerial security talks comprising
foreign and defense ministers from the two
countries, similar to those each already has with
the US.
The two leaders also pledged in
the joint declaration that they will coordinate
policies over North Korea and cooperate in dealing
with the threat of the proliferation of nuclear
and other weapons of mass destruction. Japan and
Australia are active participants in the US-led
Proliferation Security Initiative aimed at
preventing the smuggling of such weapons, missiles
and parts.
An action plan on measures for
cooperating on disaster relief, humanitarian
assistance, and maritime and aviation security, as
well as cracking down on international crime such
as drug trafficking, was part of the deal. Nor
were economics forgotten. Abe and Howard had
agreed during telephone conversations last
December to launch negotiations on a free-trade
agreement; on Tuesday, they agreed to expedite
those negotiations.
Since taking office
last September, Abe has advocated a more assertive
foreign policy and a stronger security alliance
with the United States. He has also vowed to seek
revisions of the post-World War II pacifist
constitution to allow the nation to play a greater
role in the international security arena. The
Japan-Australia security pact also apparently
reflects Canberra's desire to exert more influence
with the security the region as well as its
economy.
"Prime Minister Howard and I
agreed that the joint declaration offers a
framework for concretely stepping up security ties
between our two countries," Abe told a joint press
conference after the signing. Howard added: "The
declaration ... is [a] further mark of the trust
and cooperation between us."
In a meeting
with Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma earlier
in the day, Howard said there is no country with
which Australia has closer relations than Japan,
except the US, and stressed the importance of
increased cooperation among the three countries.
In addition to being close US allies, Japan and
Australia are major market economies and
democracies. The three countries share common
strategic viewpoints, Japanese and Australian
officials say.
Referring to the setting-up
of the "two plus two" security talks of Japanese
and Australian foreign and defense ministers,
Howard also told Kyuma that Australia is engaged
in a similar form of talks only with the US and
Britain and stressed the importance of such
dialogue.
In his meeting with Japanese
leaders, Howard said he strongly backs Japan's
tough stance on North Korea's abductions of
Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s to train
communist spies. Despite the recent deal on the
North Korea nuclear standoff, Japan has refused to
join the other participants in the six-party talks
aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear-weapons
program in offering energy aid to Pyongyang.
At the outset of the Japan-Australia
security declaration, Abe and Howard reaffirmed
that "the strategic partnership between Japan and
Australia is based on democratic values, a
commitment to human rights, freedom and the rule
of law, as well as shared security interests,
mutual respect, trust and deep friendship" and
stated that they are committed to "the continuing
development of their strategic partnership to
reflect shared values and interests".
Security cooperation between Japan and
Australia has been increasing in recent years.
Australian forces were in charge of maintaining
the security in the southern Iraqi city of
Samawah, where some 600 Japanese Ground
Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel were stationed
on a non-combat mission until last summer.
Australian forces, along with US ones,
also cooperated with the SDF in relief operations
after the Indian Ocean tsunami triggered by a
massive earthquake off Sumatra in December 2004.
But Japan and Australia have yet to conduct a
joint drill.
At the outset of their
meeting, both Abe and Howard cited the cooperation
between Japan and Australia in Iraq as an example
of close interaction and support between the two
nations in security issues. "We would like to take
this opportunity to express our gratitude for the
support Australia gave our ground troops in Iraq,"
Abe said. Howard replied that Australian forces
were impressed
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