Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would not run for the next LDP leader election the other day, and he was scheduled to attend the Quad summit and the US-Japanese bilateral summit on September 22, and supposed to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly on 26th, as the wrap up of his diplomacy in his term. As Tatsuhiko Yoshizaki of Sojitz Research Institute commented, this diplomatic tour to the United States is a commemorative event for Kishida who made the Three National Security Documents to deepen the US-Japanese alliance as his legacy to his successor (“What will happen after the Kishida-Biden era?”; Tokyo Keizai; August 17, 2024). On the other hand, it is regretful that he will miss the UN General Assembly because of the LDP leader election on 27th (”Kishida to skip U.N. General Assembly speech during U.S. visit”; Japan Times; August 31, 2024).
In the process of founding the world order, since Japan is constrained by the pacifist constitution, it cannot be involved in use of force as the law enforcement measure in the global community, whether directly or indirectly. As I mentioned in the previous post on August 4, that is a huge handicap for Japan to boost its global presence. It is widely known that Western allies provide huge military aid for Ukraine in the current Russia-Ukraine War. Moreover, even South Korea expresses consideration to provide weapons to Ukraine for their critical concerns with the Russo-North Korean alliance (”South Korea will consider supplying arms to Ukraine after Russia, North Korea sign strategic pact”; VOA News; June 27, 2024). Also, it is reported that Britain’s MI6 assisted recent Kursk Incursion by the Ukrainian troop (”As Ukraine brings war to Russia, Britain too must be bolder with sanctions”; City A.M.; 14 August, 2024). Meanwhile, Japan cannot make any kind of international contribution as mentioned above.
Assuming it quite hard to show global presence in military aspects, Japan needs to make much efforts for international contribution in non-military aspects. Since the end of World War II, Japan has been advancing development aid and international cooperation with the Global South, particularly with South East Asia, Africa, and currently with Central Asia. Also, the Japanese government regards the United Nations as the centerpiece of its diplomacy. Nevertheless, the prime minister will miss the forthcoming UN General Assembly. When Prime Minister Kishida cannot attend an important international conference, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is expected to go to the meeting on his behalf, but she is also unable to attend the UNGA as she runs for this LDP leader election. For Japan that is founding independent relations with the Global South while staying at the heart of G7, it would be a loss of opportunity to address its foreign policy direction to the global community if it misses the forthcoming general assembly. That will be a huge diplomatic damage.
In view of this, can the LDP postpone the party leader election for a couple of days? Things that I mentioned above appear as if they put the party above the country. After all, is it so important to hold an event of the “neighborhood meeting of Nagatacho” as scheduled? Seen from a “panoramic view of history” beyond partisanship, the slogan of placing the United Nations at the heart of diplomacy by successive Japanese cabinets since the end of World War II, sounds doubtful due to the absence of the prime minister at the UNGA. I would see the next administration with such skepticism, accordingly. Furthermore, was the passion for Japanese bid for the permanent membership of the UN Security Council, that rose so much a few years ago, actually counterfeit? I do not regard this case as just a matter of the Kishida administration. I regard it as a matter of all administrations of Japan from the past to the future.
While on this subject, the Constitutional Democratic Party values non-military role of Japan in the world as it upholds the “protection of anti-war Article 9”, they are supposed to believe the importance of UN diplomacy much more than the LDP does from their pacifism position. Nevertheless, it does not seem that they objected strongly to Prime Minister Kishida’s absence from the UNGA. Probably, the CDP is also preoccupied with the election of their own party leader. But that is an abdication of the role of the opposition in parliamentary democracy. It appears that they are also entangled with the “neighborhood meeting of Nagatacho”.
Here, I would like to appeal to all the political parties and some fractional groups that we have to reconfirm that Japan has a huge handicap in international politics, as it is unable to assume military role. In order to make up for that, Japan needs to take huge roles in non-military aspects. If it is not possible to postpone the LDP leader election for just a couple of days for the forthcoming UNGA, how would Japan compensate for the loss of this opportunity? Taking everything into consideration, it is critical to think how to steer this country beyond the “neighborhood meeting of Nagatacho” perspectives.
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