Japan tries to build its military alliance with Pacific island states
Japan has invited defense ministers from 14 island countries in the South Pacific region to Tokyo for a multilateral meeting with Defense Minister Minory Kihara on March 19 and 20. This is the first case of a military policy of expanding Tokyo's military influence in an area that, before the Second World War, was the home garden of the dissolved Imperial Japanese Navy.
The move is also aimed at thwarting China's agreements with these smaller but strategically important countries. This is the first in-person meeting with envoys from the micro-states of the area.
During these talks, Japan is expected to offer the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and Police to impart assistance and training to the forces of these island countries. This is a marked departure from Japan's pacifist policies after World War II.
The last meeting was held virtually in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this meeting, a joint statement was released that included Japan's diplomatic policy of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) with China's ongoing aggressive maritime expansion.
China has established itself well among these countries, where it is providing aid, rather than making them abandon diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. Recently, Beijing managed to convince Nauru, a small Pacific island country, to change its policy, but until now the position of Tokyo, also an economic power, had been secondary and inactive.
Countries with armies, such as Fiji and Papua New Guinea, will be represented by their defense ministries, although it was not easy for Tokyo to gather these countries.
Countries without armies will send representatives of their police forces and coast guards. Countries such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand and others will also participate as observers.
The meeting is expected to reiterate Japan's commitment to cooperate with these countries on issues such as maritime security, climate change and humanitarian disaster response. No joint statement is expected from this meeting, which is expected to be on the agenda of the Pacific Islands Leaders' Meeting scheduled for July. It will be on this occasion that diplomatic and security agreements can be concluded.
Tokyo's active role is both financial and maritime police
Japan has also provided early financial development assistance to South Pacific countries. Tokyo is not waiting for countries to ask for aid; rather, it is making a political pivot and using foreign aid as one of its “most important diplomatic tools,” which will keep the Indo-Pacific “free and open,” Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announced on March 12.
Tokyo is also working with Pacific Rim countries to support strengthening maritime law enforcement capacity against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in their exclusive economic zones and transnational crimes such as illicit drugs.
Under Japan's Official Security Assistance (OAS ) framework launched in 2023, which aims to help developing countries strengthen their security, Fiji has been listed as a priority country.
In December 2023, Japan agreed to provide Fiji with $2.7 million in security assistance, including patrol boats. Tokyo will likely use a mix of OAS and overseas development aid to strengthen the capacities of regional countries in the future.
The object of this attention in the control of illegal fishing is above all China . China's Pacific fishing fleet has expanded exponentially, growing 500 percent since 2012, and is threatening the economic interests of South Pacific countries. The Pacific Ocean is one of the most fertile fishing grounds in the world and supplies more than half of the world's tuna.
Seafood is a major source of income for South Pacific countries. For example, Papua New Guinea generates US$470 million, Fiji's revenue is US$182 million, and Solomon Islands is US$101 million. Additionally, Pacific Rim countries have collectively negotiated access to their waters by foreign fishing vessels through the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, resulting in an additional $500 million in annual revenue.
Currently, however, one fish in five in the Pacific is caught irregularly and without paying these exploitation rights. China is the largest illegal operator. China is accused of violating the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of other countries by damaging their economic interests.
Therefore the assistance intervention of Japan, which among other things possesses a notable military fleet, may be welcomed by these countries which do not have the possibility of protecting their own interests and which would not like to ask for assistance from the United States and Australia, which have often had an invasive and paternalistic attitude. On the contrary, modern Japan has always shown itself to be attentive and respectful of the sovereignty of others.
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The article Japan tries to build its military alliance with Pacific island states comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/il-giappone-prova-a-costruire-la-sua-alleanza-militare-con-gli-stati-insulari-del-pacifico/ on Fri, 15 Mar 2024 17:30:18 +0000.