For quite a while, the "theory of China threat" has been spreading like pestilence here and there within Japan. The view about China "threat" spread by a handful of personages in the economic and financial circles, entrepreneurs as well as some news media has been rife and rampant.
As a matter of fact, in terms of overall national strength, China's GDP (gross domestic product) is only an equivalent of one-fourth of Japan's. Japanese per-capita GDP amounts to US$35,500, ranking first in developed countries, almost 4.5 percent higher than that of the United States.
Japan's defense spending has been well over US$50 billion, exceeding the military expenditures of the three Western countries of Germany, France and Britain. Japan has become the second largest military power following the United States.
In terms of strength, Japan obviously is a "powerhouse,” then why does it raise a clamor about China "threat?” There are the following three reasons for this:
First, Japan has a group of people who obstinately cling to the "imperial conception of history,” preaching "everything Japanese is best" and ultra-nationalism, their representatives include Fukuzawa Yukichi, an advocate of imperialist expansion who was the initiator of the theory of "breaking away from Asia and joining Europe" during the Meiji time, and who revered Tennoism (the imperial system), as well as a handful of current agitators of the "theory of China threat.”
They ignore Japan's history of invasion of other countries and slaughtering of the innocents and yet refuse to repent. They are a band of people who never show reverence toward the code of ethics. Just as German Philosopher Immanuel Kant said, "The deeper and more persistent we think about the two things, the greater awe and veneration they arouse will fill our hearts. They are the overhead starry skies and the code of ethics in our minds."
Second, the ambition of some Japanese politicians and ultra-right forces is swelling with each passing day, they are bent on "breaking away from Asia and joining the United States.” On the basis of being an economic and high-tech power, they are trying to turn Japan into a military and political power. In order to secure their "position as the elder" in Asia, they slander that China has created "potential threat" to Japan. They even look upon China as a "power" that may "challenge" Japan's strategic superiority in Asia.
Japan is doing its utmost to turn its Self-defense Force into a capable and highly efficient modernized army, but in its defense white paper, it wantonly plays up so-called China's mighty military strength, charging that China has gone beyond the necessary "limit of defense,” expressing its strong "anxiety and caution.”
Third, there exist uncertain supposition and imagination in the minds of some Japanese entrepreneurs and employees of some news media as well as a small number of right-wingers. Driven by their twisted mindset, they concocted the "theory of threat" from the Chinese economy. They claim that the main factors for Japan's long-term deflation are "Chinese cheap commodities flooding like tidal water into Japan,” and that the immigration of Japanese factories into China has aroused concerns about the hollowing out of Japan's economy. This implies decreasing employment opportunities.” If things go on this way, "China will seize and carry off everything Japanese.”
As everybody knows, the emigration of manufacturing industry exists not only in Japan, the proportion of industrial shift in the United States and Europe is higher than in Japan. The internal cause of the outward shift of industries lies in the loss of their competitive edge at home, if they are not shifted, they will suffer the misfortune of closedown. Only with the transfer of these industries, can these countries have the opportunity to adjust their economic structure, and have sufficient space to develop new industries.
The "theory of threat" from China's economy doesn't conform to the law of economic development, it is also an erroneous viewpoint characteristic of ignorance of the present state of affairs. In fact, real threat comes from the creator of the "theory of threat.” As China has already joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), it is merging itself into the existing globalization system stepwise.
China and Japan are two neighbors with common interests. From the long-term point of view, the development of China's economy is beneficial to Japan. Judged from Japan's investment in China, 70 percent of its enterprises in China are making profits. In order to maintain the stable, long-term relations of friendship and cooperation between China and Japan, Japan should proceed from reality, shake off its narrow-minded view, change "confrontation" into "complementarity,” and "conflict" into "interdependence,” the two countries should strengthen cooperation through competition and realize common prosperity in the course of development.
( June 6, 2002)
