The following was an afterthought
to the memo that became my preceding
post, just in case it might come in handy. Since I’m not getting paid for
this specific piece of advice (or the previous memo), I free to share them here
with you here.
If
there's a piece of advice to offer Japanese leaders and their entourage, it's
that the modern history of East Asia is seen differently in the public minds of
Japan, China, and the United States. Specifically, for us Japanese, it began
with the Black Ships, but the Chinese reach back to the Opium War. And
Americans? Pearl Harbor, for all practical purposes. These differing
perspectives color their respective views on history issues and sometimes
affect actual outcomes, of which the treatment of the Senkaku Islands and
related disputes is a prime example.
Now
Japanese leaders and their entourages may be aware of this and certainly won't
like it if they do, but they do have to face reality. For starters, they must
be mindful of how "it plays in Peoria." I think that Ambassador
Sasae's piece, with its unusually punchy style and emphasis on Japanese
contriteness, was an effective rebuttal to the Chinese
ambassador's op-ed. On the other hand, the kind of talk coming from special
assistant to LDP president (Abe) and right-wing Diet member Koichi Hagiuda
blaming the US government's negative response on the Democrats must be avoided.
It may be true for all I know (although the last-minute notice to the
Americans, eerily reminiscent of North Korea's last-minute notice to China
about its most recent nuclear test, would have tested the patience of a
President McCain as well), but it doesn't help Japan's cause any, especially
when the Democrats are better situated over the long-run in presidential
elections for demographic reasons.
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