Russia’s War – What’s Happening in Japan and Germany

Three days after the invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to double Germany’s defense spending, and later Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kisida offered to do the same.

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Japan and Germany were not defeated in World War II. They were swept away. However, both countries miraculously rebuilt their economies, which are now the third and fourth largest on the planet, after the US and China, respectively. Their combat hierarchies were dismantled and replaced by defense forces and pacifist constitutions imposed on them by the US during the post-war occupation. While this was all a good idea given their predatory tendencies, the world has changed a lot since Russia invaded Ukraine. And Joe Biden’s visit to Japan and South Korea marks that turning point. The United States has evolved from a global «policeman” into “commander-in-chief” of world alliances against tyranny. And wealthy Japan and Germany are remilitarizing for the first time since World War II.

Three days after the invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to double Germany’s defense spending and upgrade its military because of the Russian threat. At the end of April, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida proposed doing the same, and in addition, the Japanese Parliament is discussing a revision of the US-imposed «pacifist” constitution to allow their military to operate outside the country. These developments are good news for «“democratic” world because three of the world’s four largest economies are going to use their military weight to keep the peace.

Each of them will help to provide a counterbalance to global threats in their areas. Germany is already a member of NATO, and Japan is backed by America but is a founding member of QUAD, a kind of growing NATO that also includes India, Australia and the United States. South Korea, another economic powerhouse, and other Asian countries are set to join the club amid worries about China, North Korea and Russia.

Japan and South Korea are arguing over whether to develop nuclear weapons, but given that Japan fell victim to the world’s first atomic bombs at the end of the war, that may not be the case. However, this region is dangerous. China has a nuclear arsenal, as does the so-called Pygmy Kingdom of North Korea, and China’s threat to control the South China Sea and Taiwan is at the center of Asian attention.

The Germans have already dubbed it «zeitenbruch” – the end of an era

In January, a Chinese official warned Japan to back off and denounced its support for Taiwan after a Japanese warship, along with American, British and Australian ships, crossed the disputed Taiwan Strait in the East China Sea to keep shipping lanes open. In October, the German Navy also sent one frigate across the South China Sea to participate in joint military exercises with the allies.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida is a hawk targeting China, and the first call he made after his election was to President Biden, who in turn publicly pledged to help Tokyo protect the disputed and uninhabited islands in the South China Sea known as the Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands. . Kishida also criticized China’s trade practices and created a special position in the cabinet on economic security issues, which Beijing regarded as «slap.” Japan and the United States then issued a joint statement emphasizing the importance of «peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” – for the first time in 50 years, they mentioned Taiwan. China accused them of “stirring up divisions” and its spokesman succinctly said, “This is a worrying sign.”

Tokyo has a separate territorial dispute north of its archipelago with Russia related to the South and North Kiril Islands, captured by Russia as booty after Japan’s defeat in World War II. Tens of thousands of Russians live on the northern islands, receiving economic assistance from Moscow, and military installations have been built there. For these and other reasons, Japan signed defense agreements with Britain, Australia, and Thailand. “Russian aggression is not only a European problem. An international order spanning the Indo-Pacific region is at stake,” Kishida warned.

Both Germany and Japan have imposed energy and financial sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. Japan has also launched an economic war against China by initiating a fund to help its companies pay to move from the mainland to cheaper jurisdictions in Southeast Asia. Taiwan and South Korea are doing the same. Worse still for China, there has been a shift in Japanese public opinion, with two-thirds in favor of repealing the post-war pacifist constitution that «renounces war forever. When that happens, the balance of power in Asia will change dramatically.

Prior to the Ukrainian invasion, the former German government was co-opted by Russia and vetoed Ukrainian attempts to join NATO for years. But since the invasion, the Germans have shown solidarity with the sanctions and arms exports to Ukraine. The rearmament of Germany and Japan due to the Russian attack on Ukraine and Europe marks a change in the course of history. The Germans have already christened him «zeitenbruch”, which means the end of one era and the entry into another era of great power rivalry. The two world superpowers, Japan and Germany, will unwittingly tilt the global balance of power in favor of «good guys” of our world, free enterprise, and democratic nation-states. At the same time, their militarization cannot take place quickly enough.

Translation HB