Japan PM’s visit to the United States of America

“US- Japan’s relations would prove that democracies can still commit, win, and deliver for our people.”- Joe Biden

Under the Biden administration, the United States of America has seen transformations in its diplomatic duties and priorities. Peace and prosperity of Indo-Pacific seems to be the newfound priority for the Biden Administration. This is a pattern that can be observed by looking at the commitments at Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), the expansion of its diplomatic policies to counter the Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and establishing new relations among Southeast Asian states[1]. East Asia, Indo-Pacific, and Southeast Asia currently stand as a priority and concern for Biden Administration. Under Xi Jinping, the Chinese administration has asserted its economic and military strength, which also involves military advancements to assert its disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea[2]. The Biden administration’s call for managing this Chinese aggression provides a whole new diplomatic venture where the Biden administration can face new challenges. This venture comes at a crucial time when the United States of America decided to pull out of Afghanistan and set more focus on East Asia[3]. The QUAD summit in March set the stage where the USA laid out its commitments and goals towards the Asian and Indo-Pacific region. The USA reaffirms its commitments in terms of  adopting a new approach for Indo-Pacific  to protect small countries from use of any force or coercion by resolving the ongoing conflicts and aggressive policies in the region, thereby promoting democracy. That poses the question, which country then becomes the bilateral focus for the USA’s foreign policy in East Asia? Despite this fact, India and the USA have entered a new age where their new diplomatic relations could shape the upcoming picture of international relations. However, India still aims to act independently, and diplomatic relations that will be forged will not be centered around using strategic measures as much as using bilateral measures that India tries to complement with its foreign policy and create a meta-narrative of soft diplomacy, as opposed to strategic diplomacy as employed by the Chinese administration[4].

In this perspective, the bilateral relationship for the USA which matches its goals and targets, essential to establish long term gains in the Indo-Pacific region. US-Japan relations provide that platform for the Biden administration to maintain a closer look in the Indo-Pacific. The meeting between Yoshihide Suga and Joe Biden at the White House on 13^th April 2021 affirms the focus the American administration strives to maintain in East Asia and Indo-Pacific[5]. But an important question still stands in terms of how this meeting aligns the interests of both the nation-states? Are these interests at all motivated towards the same goal and how does the Japanese administration react to this re-invigorated approach of the US administration towards the Indo-Pacific region? What are the benefits of this realignment of relations and what is the primary advantage that Joe Biden is getting out of this approach and relations?

The question of Chinese aggression and activities in the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific are a concern for both parties. For Japan and the US to struggle to act upon constructively is to know how to deal with the rising activities of Chinese administration[6]. The talks held between the two nations revolves around this principal question. It is quite clear at this point with the QUAD summit that the United States of America views Chinese activities and interference as a threat to democracy and freedom in the Indo-Pacific. Post the cold war period, it has been crucial that the major focus of the US foreign policy should be to counter the threats that emerge towards democracy and freedom in international maritime territory[7]. Certainly, the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Xinjiang, South China Sea, and the whole Indo-Pacific region is not only a political but a diplomatic instrument that is being used by the US administration to make sure that Indo-Pacific acknowledges its presence in the region. Now, it brings a substantial question for the administration as they prove that their presence in the region maintains peace and stability for the whole of the region. What lies as a cause of concern for the Biden administration is that the diplomatic manoeuvres forwarded by the nation are translated as interventionist and somewhat contradicting in its cause of maintaining peace and democracy in the region[8]. This also comes at a time when troops in Afghanistan have been retracted, and despite the continuous criticism the US administration has faced with its force deployment in the region, it now has an increased burden to prove its motive in the Indo-Pacific region.

Prime Minister Suga’s outlook  about the Indo-Pacific  is in unison with that of Biden administration. Peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific hangs in the balance, and Chinese activities stand for a similar cause of concern[9]. The Japanese economy is intertwined with China's, and the rising security concern will be a dual obstacle to its future economic prosperity and diplomatic security in the region. Japan has been condemning the actions of the Xi Jinping administration and has been arguing that the growing Chinese military activities are a definite security threat. Japan, which is prominently locked in a dispute with China over Beijing's claim to the Japanese controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea is a question of the freedom of its international waters which is being violated[10]. This move for the US administration comes at a crucial time that reaffirm the fiduciary relations between both the nation-states. The Obama administration tried to balance out a neutral relationship between China, and the region was not met with a satisfying reaction and always had lingering doubt in terms of whether these relations will provide any substantial outcome for Tokyo[11]. With the Trump administrations infliction of tariffs and open acknowledgement of Chinese threats, hope was reignited for Suga’s administration, which can be translated as a success with meeting with Joe Biden. On an international platform, this shows the importance the United States of America gives Japan, and Suga being the successor to Shinzo Abe has also substantially gained a national appeal of its diplomatic success and development. The meeting, which is the first to take place after the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrates the strength of the Japan-US alliance and the US’s commitment to engage in the Indo–Pacific region and marks as a warning against China’s coercion and destabilizing behaviours[12]. This resumption of personal diplomacy on the grounds of both the US and Japan administration creates a bond of trust and a message that democracy can still prevail during these times. Covid-19 pandemic and Chinese actions have been putting that continuous question over the US support to these nations under its ideological umbrella.

The meetings also allowed both the nations to communicate and cultivate certain personalities on further multilateral summits on climate change, and the G-7 + 3, which include India, South Korea, and Australia, and can display the level of preparedness and diplomatic relations which can tie all the nations in the region[13]. The fact that the United States is willing to make those steps along the diplomatic and multilateral levels signifies that the Indo-Pacific’s future is somewhat expected to be a constructive alliance that is hoped to expand and build upon a long-term basis. This should not be exclusively based on the QUAD and its establishments about the example of US-Japan meet creates the notion that the US is willingly creating new and improved bilateral relations in the region.

The plight of liberal institutionalism in vexing the regional and global challenges remains the highest priority for both US and Japan[14]. Where the US has been bargaining for the ideal post-cold war on a global level, Japan has been enforcing the agenda with its technological and diplomatic developments in the East Asia and Indo-Pacific region. Suga currently faces one of the most daunting challenges any prime minister in a new office can face. Not only following a legacy that was created by Shinzo Abe, he also has to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and build upon the existing Japanese foreign policy. Security relationshipa and strengthening its diplomacy was a major factor why Suga has retained his public appeal, and if the same cannot be maintained by him, it could be difficult for his long-term tenure in the office[15].

Following the QUAD summit in March, future deliberations on vaccine diplomacy, creation of working groups on climate change and emerging technologies was discussed by 2+2 meetings with Tokyo, Seoul, and the USA, and these high-level meetings have been going on between the national security advisor and Tokyo and Seoul on the common objective of China and North Korea[16]. These meetings are crucial to formalize those foundational relationships between the nations and act upon future joint initiatives which have the common agenda of countering the Chinese narrative in the region. While the Japanese government has continued to condemn China’s repression of human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and violence by the military junta in Myanmar, it has refrained to put restrictions or sanctions like the US did[17]. And because there exists an intimacy of economic relations with China and Japan, even though the US has elevated its position on Japan’s bilateral relations, positive developments of trade and economic relations remain uncertain. But Biden and Suga, from the leaders' perspectives, are poised to endorse an increasingly shared framing of strategic challenges that exist in Asia and the common narrative to support democracy and human rights continue to be of utmost importance[18]. Japan’s ability to put on the table an ambitious initiative on climate, rethinking on financing the overseas coal power investments will be tested[19]. Furthermore, the difficulty will be the challenge of reducing its dependence on China. Multilateralism and rule of law reside as the prime interests while continuing to exercise joint leadership to build and extend a new community as a part of Japan-US Joint Leaders states on global partnership. What will remain intriguing is that while revolving around QUAD and its bilateral relations on how Japan will continue to bolster its defence capacity which will balance out buying more equipment from the US and marinating a positive role of leadership in Indo-Pacific. Competitor and Resilience Partnership was given birth during QUAD, will also see its first active working and working with Japan in US agreement on it during its summit[20].

This new bilateral development has a lot of potentials to offer in the landscape of Biden Administration and especially upon the outlook of Indo-Pacific region. Biden administration actively has signaled that it is ready to intimately get involved in the bilateral understandings of the region’s diplomacy. This allows for the USA to comprehend the region by being involved with a nation that it has managed to build historical relations and establish the required strategic relations that it is looking for in the region. Prime Minister Suga said: “We agreed on the necessity for each of us to engage in frank dialogue with China. For the Climate agenda, they agreed to support innovation, development and deployment of such clean-energy technologies”[21]. Along with the QUAD vaccine initiative, this signifies that Japan is looking upon this venture to diversify its diplomatic approach and this bilateral relation with the United States of America will allow for Japan to put its decade long technological advancements in use toward major diplomatic achievements. But the area is still skeptical in terms of how this bilateral relationship will be utilized effectively. The meeting has signified that along with these multilateral developments, they are both involved in active strategic dialogue to counter Chinese actions. Once the idea of strategic dialogue is being committed upon, both the nations must mutually agree upon regional advancements they are looking upon. Military, soft diplomacy, and respect to sovereignty by being involved in active diplomatic engagements, will be made sure that this relation can move towards success. And this visit is also a test for the Biden administration. If the USA tends to be as cooperative, progressive, and advancing as it seems to be as per their talks, it can set the tone for the foreign policy it strives to target. The plight of its Indo-Pacific interest relies on this upcoming development in foreign relations, which will see the USA instrumentalizing its diplomatic relations with Japan to establish its foothold in the region. Striving for establishing diplomatic relations based on countering aggressiveness by convincing the nations of the region.

Notes

[1] (17^th April 2021). “US- Japan alliance is becoming the axis of endangering peace in Asia- Pacific”. Global Times

[2] (16^th April 2021). “Japan, US Showcase Alliance, Resolve in Dealing with China”. US News.

[3] Y. Chung- Yuan (25^th April 2021). “Defense ties with US, Japan needed”. Taipei Times.

[4] Ibid.

[5] W. Ping (16^th April 2021). “Suga’s US visit challenges Japan- China ties”. China Daily

[6] M. Solis (22^nd January 2021). “Japan’s democratic renewal and the survival of the liberal order”. Brookings Insitutie.

[7] G. Singh (21^st April 2021). “Why Japan- US summit holds promise for India”. Indian Express.

[8] R. H. Laskar (8^th April 2021). “To bolster cooperation in Indo-Pacific and counter China, Japan PM Suga to visit India”. Hindustan Times.

[9] G. Singh (21^st April 2021), ibid.

[10] G. Singh (16^th April 2021). “Stronger US- Japan ties augur well for India”. Tribune India

[11] Ibid.

[12] Y. Jincui (17^th April 2021). “China should actively consider legal battle against Japan’s wastewater plan” Global Times

[13] K. D. Groot (19^th April 2021). “US- Japan relations, past, present and future”. PennToday, School of Arts & Science.

[14] Ibid.

[15] B. Asccione (13^th April 2021). “Priority of dealing with US- Japan alliance perception gap”. EastAsia Forum.

[16] K. D. Groot (19^th April 2021), ibid.

[17] Op. Cit, ibid.

[18] E. Knickmeyer & M Yamaguchi (17^th April 2021). “Japan, US showcase alliance, resolve in dealing with China”. AP News.

[19] Ibid.

[20] P. Nadeau (12^th April 2021). “The U.S. can learn from Japan’s Relationship with China”. Tokyo Review.

[21] K. Sullivan & J. Hoffman (16^th April 2021). “Biden uses meeting with Japanese Prime Minister to emphasize new focus on China” CNN Politics.

Pic Courtesy-Jorge Alcala at unsplash.com

(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)