In Tokyo, Indonesian Defense Minister Pravovo Subianto and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. East Asian countries are joining hands with Japan to control China’s influence. As part of the US-controlled world order, both China and Japan are concerned about the safety of their seas; Which is helping the United States retain military power in Asia. The United States is increasing its dependence on its Asian allies to control China as part of the ‘Great Power’ competition in a changed world order; Which is inspiring the militarization of Japan
On March 30, Japan and Indonesia signed an agreement. Japan will export military equipment to Indonesia under an agreement called the Defense Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement. The agreement was signed during a “two-plus-two” meeting between the two countries’ foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo. Japan’s Kyodo News says Japan is concerned about China’s influence in regional geopolitics behind the deal. At a joint news conference, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the two countries had discussed strengthening China’s position in the South and East China Seas. According to a law passed by the Chinese government in February, the Chinese Coast Guard will be able to shoot down ships of other countries in the waters claimed by China. Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the law does not allow the Chinese to infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of other countries. Prior to the agreement with Indonesia, Japan had already signed defense agreements with Australia, Britain, France, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, the Philippines and the United States. Motegi said the agreement laid a solid foundation for advancing Japan’s security relations with Indonesia; And at the same time, it will be a symbol of joint efforts by the two countries to address regional threats. He added that the Japanese government was providing ৫ 453 million to deal with natural disasters in Indonesia. On the other hand, Indonesian Defense Minister Pravovo Subianto said that his country was inviting Japan to be a partner in the development of Indonesia’s defense industry. Discussions have now begun on how Japan’s defense deal with Indonesia could affect regional geopolitics.
An analysis by the defense magazine IHS Genes suggests that Japan may be able to export Mogami-class frigates to the Indonesian navy, which it is currently building for its own navy. The two countries have been discussing the transfer of military technology for several years. The agreement was signed in late 2020 as a result of an agreement. At that time, Indonesian officials met with the Japanese shipbuilding company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Indonesian Navy shortlisted four designs for their frigate purchase project; Among them were the designs of Holland’s Damen, Italy’s Fincantieri, Japan’s Mitsui and Britain’s Babcock.
In August last year, Japan agreed to sell four state-of-the-art air defense radars to the Philippines for 103 million. According to a report in the New York Times, in April 2014, the Japanese parliament legalized arms exports by amending Article 3 of 118 of the Defense Act. Accordingly, the Japanese government provided 5 TC90 surveillance aircraft as a grant to assist the Philippine surveillance in the South China Sea. An article in Forbes magazine said the radars sold to the Philippines would be used primarily to monitor Chinese military activity in the South China Sea, where the Chinese have developed several artificial islands and set up military bases. Japan wants to monitor the movement of Chinese ships in the Bashi Channel, which runs between Taiwan and the Philippines. In that case, they want to work with the Philippines. Earlier, Japan sold a 10:44-meter-long patrol boat to the Philippine Coast Guard for ৯ 191 million. Japan is currently building a 2.90-meter offshore patrol vessel for 132 million. In July, Japan signed an agreement with Vietnam to export 8,79-meter-long offshore patrol vessels for 400 million. In each case, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is financing the project. And the main task of all ships will be to control China’s influence in the South China Sea. Forbes reports that Japan’s military equipment has been scarce due to its inability to export. Japan can now try to reduce costs by exporting equipment for a variety of aircraft, air defense systems, patrol boats, etc .; So that they can sell arms at a more competitive price to implement their foreign policy.
Japan’s foreign policy is based on the anti-war constitution drafted by the United States after World War II. However, in recent times, due to the strong position of the Conservatives, Japan is deploying military forces around the world through legal changes and exporting weapons abroad. The aggressive stance of China and North Korea has given Japan a legitimacy to increase its military might. But Japan’s foreign policy is still in Washington’s favor as it is in line with US Indo-Pacific policy. Although the East Asian countries have not forgotten the history of Japan’s aggression during the Second World War, only the Chinese are talking about Japan’s new foreign policy. East Asian countries are joining hands with Japan to control China’s influence. Although Japan’s military industry is quite advanced, it is still not technologically independent of the United States. Sea routes in the South China Sea and the East China Sea are important not only for China, but also for Japan and Korea. However, Japan has no political goal in controlling them, which is in conflict with US policy. Japan’s financial assistance is playing an important role in defense exports. Although the country is leading the way in influencing by capitalizing on its huge economy, they are still childish in terms of political influence. As part of the US-controlled world order, both China and Japan are concerned about the safety of their seas; Which is helping the United States retain military power in Asia. The United States is increasing its dependence on its Asian allies to control China as part of the ‘Great Power’ competition in a changed world order; Which is inspiring the militarization of Japan.
2017. The separatist movement in the Biafra region of southeastern Nigeria. Although Nigeria is the largest and wealthiest country in West Africa, its artificial borders have weakened it internally. This weakness has made him dependent on the West; Which is still visible today. The instability surrounding the country across West Africa has dragged Nigeria down, but Nigeria has not become geopolitically strong due to internal weaknesses; Rather, it has become a victim of the West’s own conflict.
In a televised speech on the occasion of “Democracy Day” on June 12, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged the deteriorating security situation in the country’s northeast and southeast. CNN recalls that more than 800 schoolgirls have been abducted since last December. Buhari also mentioned poverty and youth unemployment in the country and various steps to address these issues. But Buhari’s problem is not diminishing; Rather growing. There have been protests against Buhari in various parts of the country on the occasion of ‘Democracy Day’; Where people show placards saying ‘Buhari must go’. Protesters criticize Buhari’s actions; In particular, they criticized the closure of social media Twitter in Nigeria. On June 4, the Nigerian government shut down Twitter, saying that some activities were being carried out using Twitter that could endanger Nigeria’s very existence.
Many speculate that Buhari’s June 1 tweet may be linked to the closure of Twitter in Nigeria. In that message, President Buhari threatened to crack down on separatist groups in the country’s southeast, who have attacked various state institutions, including election offices. Twitter deleted Buhari’s message, saying it violated Twitter’s rules. Buhari recalled the civil war in the Biafra region in the southeast in the 1980s; And he warned that no such separatist movement would re-emerge in the region. In an Al Jazeera article, Nigerian journalist Fisayo Soyombo recalls that in October 2020, US technology company Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey requested in a Twitter message to pay for Bitcoin in the Nigerian “Enders” movement. Soyombo says it was only after Jack Dorsey’s tweet that it became clear that Twitter was going to run into problems with the Nigerian government. This movement might not have been possible without Twitter. The Endersers is a movement calling for the disbandment of the Nigerian Police’s Special Anti-Rubber Squad, or SARS. According to a report by Quartz Africa, the message of the movement was spread 26 million times on Twitter through hashtags from 2016 to October 13, 2020. In 2020, a video of George Floyd being tortured to death by police in Minneapolis, USA, spread on social media. This led to riots with police across the United States. There has been a movement in Nigeria since Floyd’s point. On October 3, 2020, a video surfaced on Twitter showing SARS police firing on a young Nigerian man. As a result, protests spread across the country. Buhari’s government’s crackdown on protesters has exacerbated the situation.
Nigerian government information minister Lai Mohammed told reporters that Twitter had never deleted the dangerous tweet of Namdi Kanu, a separatist leader in southeastern Nigeria. Kanu, who lives abroad, is directing attacks on Nigerian state agencies. Namdi Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB, in the separatist Biafra region of southeastern Nigeria. Who kept alive the failed separatist movement of the 1980s. He was arrested once in 2015; He was released two years later. Journalist Soyombo says there are not many followers of Namdi Kanu, except in some parts of the country’s southeast. But the Buhari government’s additional concerns about Kanu have led to nationwide protests, with nearly 40 million Nigerian Twitter users being plunged into darkness.
The Nigerian government says that if Twitter wants to operate in Nigeria, it must be licensed in Nigeria. According to a CNN report, Twitter is a problem in two big countries like India and Nigeria. But if you want to expand your business, there is no alternative to operating Twitter in both countries. The Indian government has been embroiled in a controversy over freedom of speech with Twitter for the past few months. A few days ago, US social media companies started clashing with Australia and Britain.
Speaking to Deutsche Welle, Abdullahi Mohamed Koli, a Nigerian political analyst, said Twitter was empowering those working against Nigeria. In addition to the IPOB, many other organizations are using Twitter to endanger Nigeria’s very existence. Twitter does not want to open an office in Nigeria, register, obey Nigerian law, or pay taxes; Which is against the interests of Nigeria. The words of Mohamed Koli reflect the words of the Nigerian government. Nigeria is still struggling to survive after half a century of Biafra civil war. The Nigerian leadership has pushed its own people away from protecting the artificial geographical boundaries left by the British; Has made the country even weaker. U.S. technology companies, such as Twitter, have been embroiled in legal disputes with British Commonwealth countries, including Nigeria, India, and Australia; Which confronted their business interests and corporate ideology. During the Biafra War, some Catholic Christian countries and organizations, including the United States, France, and Ireland, directly or indirectly supported Biafra. The former British colony of Nigeria received the greatest support from Britain and the Soviet Union. Although Nigeria is the largest and wealthiest country in West Africa, its artificial borders have weakened it internally. This weakness has made him dependent on the West; Which is still visible today. The instability surrounding the country across West Africa has dragged Nigeria down, but Nigeria has not become geopolitically strong due to internal weaknesses; Rather, it has become a victim of the West’s own conflict.
The Germans are realizing that the world order created after the Cold War is now completely collapsing. So they have no choice but to follow the geopolitical reality. However, the 2040 strategy suggests that Germany, with the exception of NATO, the EU and the United States, is still not confident enough to pursue its own foreign policy.
The German government recently announced that it would deploy a naval frigate to the Indo-Pacific in 2021. For the first time since 2002, the German navy will be deployed in the Asian sea. But what is the purpose of sending warships to the Indo-Pacific of Germany? Many say it is a message to China. Again, some say it is a message to friends in Germany. The first question, however, is whether this is a reflection of a change in German strategic thinking.
Why the change in Germany’s strategic thinking?
An insight into what German state officials are thinking can be found in a secret document leaked in 2016. The German newspaper Der Spiegel leaked the 102-page strategic forecast for the German army’s planning office until 2040. This is the first time Germany has produced such a document since World War II. The paper says that this document was written in 2015. Geopolitical developments until 2040 are discussed among six possibilities. The first two possibilities are primarily about the EU’s problems; That being said, the EU will somehow survive by maintaining strong ties across the Atlantic, even in the midst of widespread problems. In between, Germany’s security focus will be on working for peace with the help of international organizations.
The third possibility is the escalation of tensions in the Western world; At the center of which will be the rise of nationalism and terrorism. The fourth possibility is the economic downturn in Europe and China. These are the two main markets in Germany. So their recession means that Germany will also face a serious economic threat.
The fifth possibility is the increase in competition with the West in the East. Here the West refers to Europe and the United States; The EU has been left out. The East, on the other hand, has been defined as China and Russia. However, they do not think that this tension could turn into a big conflict. Their idea is that states will avoid war to keep trade afloat. Some Eastern European countries may side with Russia in this conflict.
The sixth possibility is the most deadly. They say it means the EU will collapse completely; And at the same time the United States will not be able to hold on to its global leadership. Problems around the world will take a deadly turn, and no one in the Western world will be able to stop them.
This analysis means that the Germans think that the days ahead will be much more uncertain. An analysis by the US think tank Geopolitical Futures, or GPF, seeks to simplify Germany’s problems. The 2008 recession ripped through the EU. Under economic pressure, each country has to think individually. The rift is widening as the Syrian war continues to push thousands of refugees into Europe. Eastern European countries allow refugees to pass over their countries; Because the refugees wanted to go to Western Europe. Then in 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea from Ukraine, there was a rift in NATO. Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas; On the other hand, the United States wants Germany so that it does not depend on Russia. The countries of Eastern Europe are moving in the opposite direction of Germany; Those tend to be more dependent on the United States to deal with the Russian threat.
The GPF says nationalism will hamper trade in Europe; Which would hit Germany’s export-oriented economy. In other words, the structure of the EU will continue to be questioned. Germany was in the middle of the EU not just because of economic interests. The Germans think that by staying inside the EU, Germany will be able to avoid conflict with its other rival on European soil. The other rival is France. On the other hand, after 2014, Germany began to realize that the interests of the EU and the United States could no longer be considered as its own. So it’s time to fix the strategy according to your own interests. The GPF, however, says that if the Germans begin to feel insecure, they will increase their military budgets; Which is what the United States has been wanting for a long time.
Germany certainly does not want to be forced to take sides in the US-China conflict; Rather, for the first time since World War II, Germany is seeking its own identity. Yet in the near future Germany may not engage the Indo-Pacific in conflict with the United States; Instead, Germany is deploying its economic power to the United States.
How do the Germans want to face the challenge in front of them?
In an article in the British Royal United Services Institute, Maximilian Terhall, a professor at the University of Potsdam in Germany, says that the 21st century strategy needs to be redefined with a different approach to the idea that NATO was formed in 1949. Where it was stated in 1949 that NATO was established to keep the United States inside and at the same time to keep Russia out and keep Germany under control. Now, in the 2020s, we have to put the first two parts of the word together and put China in place of Germany. He says the Chinese are targeting weaker countries in the European Union in order to exert their influence. He says Italy and Greece, in particular, are falling prey to Chinese investment in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. According to him, Germany should lead Europe in such a weak time in the EU and convince the United States that Europe is needed to control China. Tehhal sees Russia as a threat to Europe; And he thinks that if the United States gets involved in a conflict with China, Russia will take advantage of its influence on Europe’s borders. Then those who say Russia’s power has diminished will be forced to think twice. He favors increasing the military budgets of all European countries. In doing so, he seeks to keep the United States interested in Europe and at the same time to address the Russian threat. He says Europe must unite and the United States must hold on to the West’s economic and military leadership over the world. And in that sense, the new German chancellor after Angela Merkel will have to try to lead Europe, realizing the ongoing global geopolitical competition.
Dominique Eillers, an official with the German military’s procurement directorate, is not so optimistic about Europe’s agreement. Especially when the United States is deploying its power against China, Europe needs to think differently, just as the major European countries need to think differently. In an article in War on the Rocks, he cited the German government’s Indo-Pacific strategy, published last September. He says that since World War II, anti-war sentiment in Germany has been so strong that it is unacceptable for anyone to formulate strategies based on their own interests in light of geopolitical realities. But Germany now puts that geopolitical reality at the center of its strategy. China’s economic influence in Europe is a threat to Germany’s economic interests, so Germany will want to control Chinese influence in Europe. On the other hand, the huge market of 400 million people in the Indo-Pacific and the industrial infrastructure built on its huge manpower are just as important for maintaining Germany’s economic interests as the security challenges of important seas in the region are a threat to Germany’s security. That is why Germany has decided to send a naval ship to the Indo-Pacific to protect its economic interests. In doing so, Germany will work with other European countries and the United States to protect international law, as well as implement its own strategy to protect its own economic interests. Germany certainly does not want to be forced to take sides in the US-China conflict; Rather, for the first time since World War II, Germany is seeking its own identity. Yet in the near future Germany may not engage the Indo-Pacific in conflict with the United States; Instead, Germany is deploying its economic power to the United States.
The strategic failure in Afghanistan has called into question the loyalty of German troops to the German leadership. That is why the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AFD, is gaining popularity among the German military. Because of the mission in Afghanistan, the Germans are now asking, what does it mean to raise a military force that costs more than 50 billion a year? The German government has no answer to this question.
How long has the German military been under NATO?
According to a report in Deutsche Welle, the stay of German troops in Afghanistan has been extended for another 10 months until January 2022. The Germans are asking how successful this mission actually was. The mission has cost about 20 billion by 2016. About 1,300 German troops are stationed in Afghanistan. So far, 59 soldiers have been killed in the clashes. Sonka Knitzel, a professor at the University of Potsdam, says the Germans had no strategic plans to move to Afghanistan. They have blindly followed the United States and NATO. The then German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sent troops to Afghanistan to show sympathy for the United States after 9/11. The thought was that the troops would be repatriated within six months. Chancellor Angela Merkel later said that by maintaining troops in Afghanistan, Germany was maintaining its influence between NATO, the United Nations and the EU. So the decision to withdraw troops from there has been delayed for two decades. German troops stationed in Afghanistan have been told it is not their responsibility to fight the Taliban. On the other hand, the commanders of the multinational forces went to war and did not find the German troops on their side and called them vitu.
The Germans have not been able to break out of their culture of erasing World War II memories. So the German leaders are not able to make the political decision to tell the soldiers to fight. The Germans went on a NATO mission; But for fear of their history, they did not fight side by side with other Western countries in implementing NATO’s goals. They have always been ‘somewhat involved’ in NATO. That is why the Germans could not participate in the strategic decisions of Afghanistan; They were given the importance of the second saree. Nietzsche says the strategic failure in Afghanistan has called into question the German military’s loyalty to the German leadership. That is why the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AFD, is gaining popularity among the German military. Nietzsche says the Germans are now questioning what it means to raise a military force at a cost of more than 50 billion a year because of the Afghanistan mission. The German government has no answer to this question.
The German military’s website says there are currently about 2,600 German troops stationed in various parts of the world. The mission of all of them is to maintain peace. In addition to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, there are 900 German troops deployed under the auspices of the United Nations to assist the French in Mali in West Africa. In short, none of this is Germany’s own mission. But the German leadership feels that these missions under NATO and the United Nations are important for maintaining German influence internationally.
New German Defense Policy… How Real?
In 2016, a white paper from the German Ministry of Defense mentioned similar concerns. German Chancellor Angela Merkel wrote in the introduction to the white paper that recent years have shown that, no matter how successful the European system formed since World War II, it is not permanent. In the twenty-first century Europe will change the borders of the state through military force; No one thought of it. According to a report in the defense magazine Army Technology, Germany has so far deployed its military forces under NATO. But the recent situation has forced the Germans to adopt an active defense policy. At one time, Germany refrained from sending troops without a UN Security Council resolution, or outside the framework of NATO. Now the Germans are beginning to think of deploying military forces outside of NATO as normal.
The white paper called for an increase in Germany’s military budget. Germany wants to increase its military membership to 14,300 by 2023. However, Germany’s military has long suffered from low budgets. A 2014 Washington Post report stated that most of the Navy’s submarines were out of service; Less than 40 percent of the Army’s boxer armored vehicles are operational; Of the 42 NH90 helicopters in the Navy, only six are in a state of flight. The helicopter purchase project is in such a predicament that despite the target of purchasing 200 helicopters, only 72 are being purchased now. As much as the military budget is being talked about increasing, it is actually insignificant compared to the need. And how practical it will be to implement the new geopolitical strategy is questionable.
Since World War II, the Germans have been working to implement the strategic objectives of the United States and NATO. Although Germany’s position in the EU seems to be mainly for economic reasons, it is also to avoid a conflict with France. But the changed world order in the twenty-first century is teaching Germany the reality. While China has become more important to the United States than Europe, Germany is struggling to attract US attention to Europe. Conversely, as German dependence on Russian gas increases, so does the leadership of Berlin. Since the end of the Cold War, there has been no fear of a major war, and the German military budget has been stingy on rusty German weapons. And extremist nationalism is emerging in Germany in a bid to politically legitimize its meaningless involvement in the war in Afghanistan by blindly following NATO. The Germans are realizing that the world order created after the Cold War is now completely collapsing. So they have no choice but to follow the geopolitical reality. However, the 2040 strategy suggests that Germany, with the exception of NATO, the EU and the United States, is still not confident enough to pursue its own foreign policy.
As an economic power in East Asia, Japan has long struggle to find it’s place in reign in the previous century. After the world war 2, Japan stay away from world politics. Japan modernised itself but aftereffect of world war makes Japan a peaceful country. But the rising china makes Japan worrys about it’s National security. In this report we will know about Geopolitics of Japan
Geography
Japan is located in east asia. Mainly Japan is is a island. Japan is consist of total 6852 island. Major island are Kyushu, Shikoko, and Hokkaido. As these islhand 97 percent of Japan's landmass and contitute as home island. Roughly 104 million people of the total 126 million people live in the central Honshu island and that is well over 82 percent of the country's population.Another 13 million people reside in the Southeast in the island of Kyushu to East in between Honshu.4 millions people live in Shikoku island.5 million people live in Hokkaido island. One more most wealthy island is Okinawa which stretches from kyushu to Taiwan. Formally Okinawa is recognised as a home island, it’s distinct history, culture and location differs from the remaineder of Japan. There are thousands of smaller islands that surround the five home island.
Photo: Islands of Japan
But the most observsble factor of Japan is mountainous nature of land. In the context of total area, Japan is about the size of Germany or Poland.Howover about 73% of Japan consists of mountains, forests and wasterland which are unfavourable to human habitation. As a result Japan has a shortage of habitable land. For this the society is confined to thin strips of coastal plains that surrounds the home island. About 27% of Japan is considered habitable which roughly the size of South Korea. In comparison Germany and Poland have about 35% arable land. Because of Japan's rugged geography, the population densely centered the arable plains of largest of these is Kanto plain which is located in central honshu. The kanto plain constitutes four percent of Japan's total territory.But it is home to 35 million people including the capital of Tokyo.other important plains include the Osaka and Kobe plains. These three territories provides the largest agriculture output and serve as the economic and political course of Japan. In Japan there is no internal rivers system connecting population zones. More specially Japan has plenty of rivers that are useful for irrigation.
Challenge for Japan
Historically the sea encouraged the local population to develop a dynamic maritime culture in turn of naval tradition.But asserting centralized authority remain a centuries old challenge for historical ruler in modern times. The seto Inland sea serve as the nexus connecting the largest cities of the country. Foreign policy-wise Japan is surrounded by powerful regional players.Such as China, Russia, South Korea and even North Korea. Some countries such as Russia pose little threat to Japan since their influence is limited in East Asia that being said Moscow has plan to improve the economic significance of Sakhal island counterbalance Japanese influence. Whether the Russian will actually succeed still remain to be seen.Another Russian risk to Japan are the coral island which seperates the Pacific Ocean from the sea of Okhotsk. Whoever is full control over, Island will be able to restrict naval access to the sea of Japan from the north which forms a crucial part of Japan's access to global sea routes. The importantance of Coral island will only increase over time especially since Moscow plan to rely more it’s nuclear submarine in the future.Tokyo only claims the southern island which have no strategic value on their own. But from Russian point of view, there is on guarnantee that Tokyo's won't extend it’s claim to nothern coral island. Hence the Russian deny Japanese altogether, a more immediate issue as the southern tip of the Korean peninsula which sits at a distance of about 190 km from the island of Kyushu.Historically this area has served a land bridge connecting the Japanese Archipelago to main land of Asia. It's allowed for historic foreign ruler to threaten Japan but the Kyushu entry point goes way and it enabled Japanese forces to invade korean peninsula in the 16th 19th and 20th centuries. Another pathway island is Okinawa which along with Ryuku Island connects the Japanese home Island to Taiwan from there a South China sea. Whoever has a foothold in Okinawa will have the advantage to mobillize swifly between Japan and Taiwan. The importantance of this island is highlighted by the present of US millitary forces. In modern time however Japan's greatest threat is it's declining and aging population between the 70s and 90s the number of retires nearly doubled displaced additional burdens on country's recession in 1990s.
At present Japan experiences some of lowlest fertility rates in the world which is the result of it’s unique social and cultural norms and long term. Japan’s demographic decline is simply unsustainable. It is expected that by 2050 the country's population will shrink from 126 million in 2017 to 107 million in 2050 and furthermore decline to 83 million by the end of the century. Meanwhile the segmet of working age, the citizen will be less than half of the projected number. The extent of demographic decline is simply unmatched in history. Most European countries with same similar demographic problem. For this they balance their needs through immigration.Howover Japan's ethnic homogenous society is somewhat xenophobic and resistant to immigration. As such the country's demographic crisis is for worse than in other comparable nations. Now a smaller number work forces will not necessarily result in industrial output. Since innovation in AI research, robotics automation maintain productivity levels. But demography affects much more than just industrial output. It means a decline in domestic consumption and Corporation profits which is bound to result in shrinking tax revenue and even less public spending. As the country's income and population continues to decline, the country will have two option. Before it Japan could either end up as a smaller and an older social welfare state secluded in the eastern corner of Asia that is simply incapable of securing it’s geopolitical imperative or it will have to come to term with the inconvenient demographic reality and thus open up to immigration and there by rejuvenate it’sself both option will be met with opposition and discontent from public. Yet if history is any indication, Japan has never held back from abrupt changes. Another issue that Japan is the country's lack of natural resources. As a producer of high -end commodities, Japanese industries require vast quantities of mineral resources. Such as lead, copper, zinc,iron, rubber and more.All of these raw materials are imported from abroad and since the country is an island, the of import of resources and export of commodities must go by sea. As Japan cannot provide for it’s basic resources, It doesn’t even enough food on it’s soil.According to the Japanese government it can only feeds 66% of the nation.Extra food is actually imported and subsidized by the govt. Another example is the lack of energy security about 90% of Tokyo's energy needs come from foreign sources. This number rose from 80 percent following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Relations Between China and America
The geo-economics of Japan is determined by it’s dependency on maritime traffic that posses through the Indian Ocean, the South China sea and straits of Malacca. All of these areas areas are susceptible to foreign influence. As beyond the Japanese Navy's ability of securing them. As such Tokyo follows a subjugated foreign policy in which a maritime independent nation seekd to ally it'self with the global naval power USA. The task of global power is to ensure the security of maritime traffic and return the smaller nation alleviate the needs of the larger power it’s relationship that based on Self-interest and it has cultivated in the American-Japanese alliance. So to safeguard, It's maritime shipping lanes Tokyo relies on Washington for naval security and to ensure American cooperation Tokyo must make itself invaluable to Wahington to that extent Japan has helped to preserve the strength of US dollar through favorable exchange rates and it has rendered Humanitarian support in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Now officials in Tokyo have expressed an aspirations to become militarily and economically independent. However given the geopolitical circumstances, it is a process that is gradual and cannot be rushed. For now Japan like many other nation is parts of American hegemony. In return Washington guarantee the maritime security of Tokyo which is essential to Japan’s statehood that being said. Japan's relationship with United states has become determental towards China and Russia. China is the more immediate threat. following outcome of world war 2, relations between Bejing and Tokyo were determined by two essential factors. China supplied To Japan with raw materials and labor-intensive, manufactured commodities while Japan supplied China with hugh technology and services. However In the last few decades china underweny an extensive process of industriazation. As such Bejing is now competing with Tokyo for some resources and raw materials to fill their respective economies. In the few decades, china is experted to shift from an export-driven economy to a domestic consumption economic model which will only accelerate the need for resources. In this context the Chinese Japanese rivalry is also expected to increase in time
