{"id":6370,"date":"2024-05-02T22:10:46","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T22:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/markscogan.com\/?p=6370"},"modified":"2024-05-02T22:12:52","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T22:12:52","slug":"japans-diplomatic-bluebook-paints-china-as-central-villain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markscogan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/02\/japans-diplomatic-bluebook-paints-china-as-central-villain\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s Diplomatic Bluebook Paints China as Central Villain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/markscogan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Malabar2020-1024x563.jpg?resize=1024%2C563&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6373\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ships from the Royal Australian Navy, Indian navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the United States Navy participate in Malabar 2020.  The U.S.S. Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Photo Credit: U.S. Navy \/ Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elliot Schaudt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\"><strong>T<\/strong><\/mark>he more things change the more they stay the same. In the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.go.jp\/mofaj\/files\/100653233.pdf\">2024 Diplomatic Bluebook<\/a>, recently released through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan assertively labeled China a global threat, while still carefully trying to balance both positive\u00a0<em>and\u00a0<\/em>negative terms. The new edition employs much stronger language about its regional rival, characterizing Beijing\u2019s activity in the South China Sea as \u201cunilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.\u201d The not-so-subtle change in the language in the new edition (as well as the previous\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.go.jp\/policy\/other\/bluebook\/2023\/en_html\/index.html\">2023 edition<\/a>) is predicated on the central theme of Beijing\u2019s progressively coercive efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geopoliticalmonitor.com\/japans-diplomatic-bluebook-paints-china-as-central-villain\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"71\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/markscogan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/gpm-logo-e1629163176518.png?resize=300%2C71\" alt=\"Geopolitical Monitor\" class=\"wp-image-4154\" style=\"width:300px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As featured in the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geopoliticalmonitor.com\/japans-diplomatic-bluebook-paints-china-as-central-villain\/\">Geopolitical Monitor.<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The changes are also representative of the technological advancements that have altered the security dynamic in the region, as Tokyo worries about China\u2019s dramatic increases in military spending, which the U.S. recently&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2023\/09\/19\/china-defense-budget-military-weapons-purchasing-power\/\">warned could exceed more than $700 billion<\/a>. This was parallel to a concern raised by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mainichi.jp\/english\/articles\/20240306\/p2g\/00m\/0in\/013000c\">back in March<\/a>. The fog in which Beijing operates also comes from a buildup in the East and South China Seas, which has drawn the ire of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2023\/09\/17\/japan\/politics\/japan-defense-minister-minoru-kihara-china\/\">Defense Minister Minoru Kihara.<\/a>&nbsp;Informationization has long been a priority of China, which has aimed to open a new area of modern warfare through<a href=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2017\/03\/chinas-quest-for-informatization-drives-pla-reforms\/\">&nbsp;multiple channels of communication-based infrastructure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Confronting China in the security realm is a monumental challenge, as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/why-japan-is-seeking-military-ties-beyond-its-us-ally-2023-01-13\/\">Japan is still largely dependent on the United States<\/a>&nbsp;and security ties to Indo-Pacific partners like India and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/japan-britain-italy-build-joint-jet-fighter-2022-12-09\/\">EU Member States<\/a>&nbsp;are still in the early stages. Attempts at more assertive bilateral communication, such as through the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.go.jp\/press\/release\/press1e_000381.html\">Japan-China Security Dialogue<\/a>&nbsp;and its&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2023\/08\/who-wants-to-talk-communication-difficulties-constrain-japan-china-relations\/\">attempt at a communications hotline<\/a>&nbsp;with Beijing last year, have mostly been fruitless affairs. Thus, the third chapter of the new Bluebook is a formal and public diplomatic explanation of its alliance and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mod.go.jp\/j\/policy\/agenda\/guideline\/strategy\/pdf\/strategy_en.pdf\">defense strategies<\/a>&nbsp;that are squarely aimed at China, as well as lingering security threats from North Korea and Russia. For keen observers of Japan\u2019s defense policy, this is not at all surprising and has been a part of Japan\u2019s security and defense reorientation for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">With China now squarely in the sights of Japan, also evident in the 2023 Bluebook is a strong indicator that Tokyo\u2019s foreign policy environment will be volatile at best, with policy aimed at responding to PLA coercion through a stronger promotion of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.go.jp\/policy\/page25e_000278.html\">Free and Open Indo-Pacific<\/a>&nbsp;plan that aims to broaden regional cooperation. This cooperation will play out in the realm of maritime security, intending to mitigate any damage caused by China\u2019s \u201ceconomic coercion,\u201d which was also a key theme of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.go.jp\/press\/release\/press5e_000059.html\">2023 G7 Summit in Osaka<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As is typical in this long-running publication, Japan presents itself in the most positive light, focusing on an open diplomacy rich with evidence of its soft power and status projection, with cherry-picked examples from its&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.go.jp\/mofaj\/area\/ticad\/index.html\">engagement in Africa through TICAD<\/a>, Security Council leadership and reform efforts, and nuclear disarmament objectives. What\u2019s missing is the stark contrast between Tokyo and Beijing on the international stage, where China\u2019s lead on the African continent is miles ahead, both in terms of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theafricareport.com\/327507\/west-faces-long-struggle-to-loosen-chinas-grip-on-africas-critical-minerals\/\">extractive industries<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/middle-east-and-africa\/2023\/11\/09\/china-is-winning-africas-white-gold-rush-for-lithium\">rare earth minerals<\/a>, infrastructure, and the size of its diplomatic presence. Beijing\u2019s soft power also extends into complex relationships with line ministries and civil society,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lestimes.com\/china-boosts-lesothos-health-sector\/\">where the funding of hospitals<\/a>&nbsp;and other critical development provide evidence to the scale of Japan\u2019s challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">But closer to home, the pillars of Japan\u2019s FOIP plan offer clues on how it can go toe to toe with Beijing, balancing the combative rhetoric with real-world results. For example under Pillar 1, \u201cPrinciples for Peace and Rules for Prosperity,\u201d the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.go.jp\/na\/na2\/page4e_001511.html\">Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)<\/a>&nbsp;offers Japan a chance to engage with ASEAN partners at the ministerial-level, particularly in areas where&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbr.org\/publication\/geoeconomic-crossroads-the-strait-of-malaccas-impact-on-regional-trade\/\">each share vulnerabilities<\/a>&nbsp;that were exacerbated by COVID-19 and continued Chinese aggression in the all-important Strait of Malacca. Second, in its own backyard and in the tense South China Sea, Japan\u2019s emphasis on strengthening the rule of law through a variety of institutional mechanisms as well as flexing its diplomatic credentials and well-earned reputation in Southeast Asia via technical assistance and training to critical partners like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.vietnamplus.vn\/japans-2024-diplomatic-bluebook-sketches-out-cooperation-orientation-with-asean\/284705.vnp\">Vietnam<\/a>, Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Clearly, the Chinese reaction was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.globaltimes.cn\/page\/202404\/1310849.shtml\">predictably negati<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globaltimes.cn\/page\/202404\/1310849.shtml\">ve<\/a>&nbsp;and it also provoked&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/asianews.network\/south-korea-strongly-protests-japans-claim-over-dokdo-in-diplomatic-bluebook\/\">nationalist sentiments<\/a>&nbsp;in South Korea over its claims to \u201cDokdo\u201d or Takeshima, but this is par for the course with a less than surprising reorientation of Japan\u2019s security posture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As I said, the more things change, the more they stay the same.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The more things change the more they stay the same. In the\u00a02024 Diplomatic Bluebook, recently released through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan assertively labeled China a global threat, while still carefully trying to balance both positive\u00a0and\u00a0negative terms. The new edition employs much stronger language about its regional rival, characterizing Beijing\u2019s activity in the South China Sea as \u201cunilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.\u201d The not-so-subtle change in the language in the new edition is predicated on the central theme of Beijing\u2019s progressively coercive efforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,100,19],"tags":[79,39,522,521,45,68,324],"class_list":["post-6370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-china","category-east-asia","category-japan","tag-africa","tag-china","tag-cooperation","tag-diplomatic-bluebook","tag-japan","tag-security","tag-south-china-sea"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Japan\u2019s Diplomatic Bluebook Paints China as Central Villain &#8211; Mark S. 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The new edition employs much stronger language about its regional rival, characterizing Beijing\u2019s activity in the South China Sea as \u201cunilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.\u201d The not-so-subtle change in the language in the new edition is predicated on the central theme of Beijing\u2019s progressively coercive efforts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/markscogan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/02\/japans-diplomatic-bluebook-paints-china-as-central-villain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark S. 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In the\u00a02024 Diplomatic Bluebook, recently released through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan assertively labeled China a global threat, while still carefully trying to balance both positive\u00a0and\u00a0negative terms. The new edition employs much stronger language about its regional rival, characterizing Beijing\u2019s activity in the South China Sea as \u201cunilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.\u201d The not-so-subtle change in the language in the new edition is predicated on the central theme of Beijing\u2019s progressively coercive efforts.","og_url":"https:\/\/markscogan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/02\/japans-diplomatic-bluebook-paints-china-as-central-villain\/","og_site_name":"Mark S. 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