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January 05, 2006
Asian mice
From the good folks at Kyodo, here's a nice round-up of Koizumi's latest news conference:
''China and South Korea should not close the doors for talks due to this one issue [visits to Yasukuni],'' Koizumi said when asked how he will try to mend fences with the neighboring countries.
''I suppose it is a question about the lack of summit exchanges due to the Yasukuni issue, but I think the issue of visiting Yasukuni Shrine should not be made into a diplomatic problem,'' Koizumi said, reiterating his stance of not budging over the contentious visits.
The China Daily, however, offers some extra information:
"I can't understand why foreign governments would intervene in a spiritual matter and try to turn it into a diplomatic problem," Mr. Koizumi said, adding that he visited the shrine to pray for peace, according to the [New York] Times.
"I've never once closed the door to negotiations with China and South Korea," he added.
The remarks drew immediate condemnation from Seoul, with Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon responding that Koizumi needed a "better understanding of history" and should earn the "trust and respect of other countries," the report said.
In what seems to be a recurring personality trait, Koizumi is being too cute for his own good. Most likely, he knows this, and he just doesn't care. Of course his visits to Yasukuni are, on the surface, a "personal" and a "spiritual" matter. Of course Korea and especially China are using them as a crutch for wont of real diplomacy.
But Yasukuni ain't no run of the mill shrine, and Koizumi knows it. Note that this press conference was "nationally televised." Koizumi's not playing to a Korean or a Chinese audience; he's playing to a Japanese one. And he's not alone -- it's the same game played by each leader in the region when it comes to relations with Japan. They are like mice scurrying about in their little wheels, knowing full well that no matter how fast they run, they'll never get anywhere.
The damndest thing, though, is that this suits each little mouse just fine. They earn nationalist points at home and forego any prospect of genuine diplomatic progress abroad. As long as that remains desirable (or at the very least, acceptable) to East Asian leaders, no one should be surprised at the absence of diplomacy or sanity in the region.
Posted by Daniel Widome at 12:45 AM to Asia
