October,07,2012

Statement Calling for the Government of Japan to “Raise the Matter of Dismissing China as a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council,” etc.

On September 26, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly and said that “it is the responsibility of the state to protect its sovereignty, territorial land, and sea.” At the subsequent press conference, he stated, “There are no territorial issues as such (concerning the Senkaku Islands). Therefore, there cannot be any compromise that represents a retreat from this position.” At the General Assembly, it was right of Prime Minister Noda to stress the legitimacy of Japan’s stand on the Senkaku Islands and Takeshima, but he is still slow in responding to the diplomatic offensive by the Chinese side, and we cannot help but feel strong apprehension as to whether Japan will be able to successfully protect its territorial land and sea.

Prime Minister Noda avoided mentioning China or any other specific countries in his speech. In response, at the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi stated that the Senkaku Islands belong to China, and he specifically accused Japan of having “stolen” the Senkaku Islands from China. Furthermore, he leveled a series of verbal attacks on Japan, stating that that Japan’s nationalization of the Senkaku Islands is a major infringement of China’s sovereignty that openly denies the results of the victory in the global war against fascism, and seriously challenges the postwar international order and the objectives and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Foreign Minister Yang made ignoble statements that implied that Japan was a “thief” at the General Assembly where top leaders and ministerial level officials from countries around the world were gathered. In response to this, the Japanese government should call for the Chinese government to dismiss Foreign Minister Yang.

China has embarked upon an expansion of its hegemony, not just with regard to the Senkaku Islands, but also the South China Sea. Domestically, it continues to suppress the human rights of the Tibetans, Uighurs, and other ethnic minorities, in addition to the Han Chinese. How to stop such tyranny on the part of China is becoming one of the most serious issues for the international community, and it is clear that China has lost its qualification to serve as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, which carries the “primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security” (Charter of the United Nations). Accordingly, the government of Japan must raise the matter of revising the Charter of the United Nations so that China is dismissed from its post as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. (The government of Japan must also call for the United Nations to replace Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is from the Republic of Korea, so that the issue of Takeshima can be resolved equitably.)

It is clear that the recent anti-Japanese demonstrations, during which numerous Japanese companies were forced to suspend operations and rampaging mobs looted and destroyed stores and factories, were government-initiated demonstrations that were under a certain degree of control by the Chinese government. Therefore, the government of Japan must call for the Chinese government to pay damages for such barbarous illegal actions. Just because there are no specific provisions in the investment agreement between Japan and China concerning compensation for damage caused by riots does not mean that the Japanese government should fail to take action.

Yesterday, the Okinawa Prefectural Police sent documents to the public prosecutor’s office in regard to a case of Japanese citizens landing on the Senkaku Islands. Having laws prohibiting Japanese citizens from landing on the Senkaku Islands is almost like the Chinese government entrusting the Japanese government with managing the islands on its behalf. It must be said that as the conflict between Japan and China regarding the Senkaku Islands becomes more serious, it will be impossible for Japan to stand up to China’s stance of “patriotic innocence” with a stance of “countryless innocence, patriotic guilt.” Therefore, we strongly call for the government of Japan to lift the ban on landing on the Senkaku Islands and to strengthen effective control of the islands.