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"GFJ Commentary"
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"GFJ Commentary" presents views of members and friends of GFJ on the relations of Japan with the rest of the world and other related international affairs. The view expressed herein is the author's own and should not be attributed to GFJ.
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"Still in Office, NIWA Uichiro? Shame on You"
By OKADA Shoichi
former corporate executive
On September 26, 2010, I contributed an article entitled "Is DPJ Capable of Ruling?" to this BBS "Giron-Hyakushutsu," in which I stated that "The Government of Japan released a Chinese fishing boat captain who had been arrested on charges of trespassing into Japanese waters (off the Senkaku Islands) and interference with government officials in the execution of their duties before dawn on September 24. The release came with bizarre reasons at a bizarre timing. Although the Prime Minister's Office quite conveniently attributed the decision of the release to the initiative of the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office in Okinawa, it was more than obvious that the Prime Minister's Office was involved in the decision of the release. These developments lead us to an unavoidable conclusion that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) may not be capable of taking the helm of the state. It is undeniable that the national leaders of Japan are being indecisive without any firm beli
efs or strategy and evade confronting the crisis over such national fundamentals as statehood, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."
Although almost two years have passed since then, the state of affairs has not improved an inch but has been even aggravated. On May 4, NIWA Uichiro, Japanese Ambassador to China (specially appointed by the DPJ), who sat in on the talks between YOKOMICHI Takahiro, Chairman of the House of Representatives of Japan who visited China, and XI Jinping, Vice-President of China, is reported to have made remarks on the plan of ISHIHARA Shintaro, Governor of Tokyo, to purchase the Senkaku Islands to the effect that the national sentiments of the Japanese are weird and that Japan is a bizarre country.
Immediately after that, NIWA, in the face of immense criticism by the Japanese public, submitted a letter of apology to Foreign Minister GENBA Koichiro, saying that the same remarks would not be made again. However, he should have known that a letter of apology is not enough at all to excuse his misconduct.
Speaking of NIWA, he is notorious for the statements he made in a dialogue published in a magazine several years ago such as "we will see an era of Greater China" and "I expect that Japan will become a tributary state of China," and it was quite obvious that he was the last person to be qualified as an ambassador who is supposed to represent the national interests of Japan. There is a company called Itochu Corporation, where NIWA had long been in power as President.
Considering that this company is said to be making an outstanding performance (in other words, making tons of money) in business with China, we could presume that NIWA's mentality has not changed a bit since his days in Itochu. Rather, he may think that he was appointed Ambassador to China for his very "performance" in Itochu. It is quite concerned that he still has idiosyncratic favoritism toward Itochu and for that abuses his privileges as Ambassador to China.
While it is almost two months since May 4, NIWA has not tendered his resignation yet and still clings to the honors and privileges of Ambassador to China. And the DPJ government tolerates this. SAKURAI Yoshiko, a celebrated journalist of Japan, says of NIWA that "I should wonder what his philosophy of life has been," "although this may not be the right word, but he should be considered 'a traitor to his country'," and "he may be regarded (by China) as 'handy' or 'convenient'."
I assume that China inwardly disrespects NIWA as a person who repeatedly makes such remarks. No country on this planet, whatever country it may be, respects those diplomats or military personnel coming from abroad who suck up to a country where they are stationed at the sacrifice of their own national interests. Lastly, I would like to say "Still in office, NIWA Uichiro? Shame on You."
(This is the English translation of an article which originally appeared on the BBS "Giron-Hyakushutsu" of GFJ on 2 July, 2012, and was posted on "GFJ Commentary" on 17 August, 2012.)
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For more views and opinions in the backnumber of "GFJ Commentary," the latest of which are as follows, please refer to:
http://www.gfj.jp/eng/commentary/backnumber.html
No.43 "Will World Uyghur Congress Sink a Great Ship?"
by MUTSUJI Shoji, Lecturer, Yokohama City University
(26 June 2012)
No.42 "Japan-ASEAN Dialogue" Should Discuss Not Only "Sea" But "Space"
by MATSUI Akira, former Ambassador of Japan to Kazakhstan
(27 April 2012)
No.41 Is the US Really Returning to East Asia?
by SAKAI Nobuhiko, Director of Japan Institute of Nationalism Studies and former Professor of the University of Tokyo
(10 February 2012)
No.40 Is It True That Nobody Could Predict the Fall of the Soviet Union?
by YAMAMOTO Yuichi, former Lecturer of university
(16 December 2011)
No.39 Government and People Together Must Address the Resolution of the Futenma Issue
by YUSHITA Hiroyuki, former Ambassador to the Philippines
(31 October 2011)
No.38 The Death of Osama bin-Laden
by Bruce MAZLISH, Professor Emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
(5 August 2011)
"GFJ Updates"
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"GFJ Updates" introduces to you the latest events, announcements and/or publications of GFJ.
Event
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The Japan-U.S. Dialogue "Japan-U.S. Alliance at a New Stage: Toward a Provider of International Public Goods" Held
The Global Forum of Japan (GFJ), under the co-sponsorship with Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University (INSS) and The Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR), organized the Japan-U.S. Dialogue on the theme of "Japan-U.S. Alliance at a New Stage: Toward a Provider of International Public Goods" in Tokyo on September 12, 2012. This Dialogue was attended by 126 participants including Prof. KAMIYA Matake of National Defense Academy of Japan, Dr. James J. PRZYSTUP of INSS and Dr. Michael J. GREEN of Center for Strategic & International Studies.
For more please refer to :
http://www.gfj.jp/eng/dialogue/45/cp.pdf
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