A better way for Japan to live with its neighbours

In recent years foreign observers have reported increasing nationalistic pride in Japan. Such growing sentiment is rooted in frustration over gaps between Japan's security policy and the reality of today's world, and between contemporary Japan and its wartime past.

Japan's humiliation during the 1991 Gulf war first revealed the gap between the constraints of its pacifist constitution and the demands of the post-cold-war world. Despite its $13bn (€9.9bn) contribution, Japan was criticised for its inability to participate in the operations of the coalition forces. Meanwhile, controversy over Japan's wartime past - exemplified by the Yasukuni shrine, which honours 2.5m war dead, including 14 Class A war criminals - has loomed over its relations with neighbours, creating an opening for a harmful strain of nationalism.

The situation today is entirely different from that of the postwar era, when phenomenal economic growth was a source of national pride, absorbing many of the frustrations about external affairs. The rise of China and tensions vis-à-vis North Korea have deepened Japan's uncertainty about its contemporary surroundings. Domestic political developments in recent years have exacerbated the problem and fostered a policy-making process that is increasingly influenced by populism. Such capitalisation on popular frustrations can have dangerous consequences, particularly in foreign policy.

Japan's close relationship with the US has also contributed to nationalistic sentiments. The US has played an invaluable part in Japan's development as a member of the international community, yet its role as security guarantor has allowed Japan to avoid dealing with its contemporary contradictions. If these persist, they will not only damage Japan's national interest but may undermine the Japan-US relationship.

As the international community has increasingly faced non-traditional threats such as terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the regional and global security environment has become more complex. This has brought the contradiction between Japan's pacifist constitution and its 60-year-old security policy, dependent on US military might, to the fore.

In light of domestic and foreign expectations for Japan to contribute internationally and assume a greater role in its own security, the country has enacted measures that authorise it to deal more directly with regional contingencies. Examples include the guidelines for Japan-US defence co-operation in 1997 and the anti-terrorism special measures law of 2001. A debate has also begun over revising Article 9, the "no war" clause of the constitution, to permit the use of force.

To respond adequately to non-traditional threats, Japan needs to discard the fictions and taboos constraining its security policy and articulate how and when it might use force - not as a means of resolving international disputes, but as part of the international community's collective self-defence.

Moves to reconcile the contradictions in Japan's security policy are best complemented by efforts to improve ties with east Asian neighbours and help build a more peaceful, prosperous and co-operative region. History has been one obstacle. Japan should not forget its past, but a focus merely on historical issues will exacerbate tensions. All sides must stop politicising history.

China's future role in east Asia also looms large over discussions about regional co-operation. China is in trans-ition. Japan must engage it as a great power and encourage it to align its interests with the rest of the region.

The key to building a prosperous and stable east Asia is to strengthen a sense of regional community by identifying areas of common interest - such as energy, the environment, income disparities, Aids and piracy - and working jointly on them step by step.

Intra-regional economic co-operation is making quick progress and the potential for further expansion of econ-omic ties should be emphasised.

The rise of nationalistic sentiment has become one of the challenges facing Japan as it debates its identity in the post-cold-war world. A two-pronged approach - revising outdated security policies and building an east Asian community - can help bridge the gaps that give rise to these sentiments, so that nationalism can be channelled in a constructive direction. This wouldenable Japan to live up to its potential as a respected leader in the region and in the world.