Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke in Singapore during the 13th Asian Security Summit sponsored by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), May 30, 2014:
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Ladies and gentlemen,
“Peace and prosperity in Asia, forevermore.”
In order to make that a reality, what should Japan do and
how should Japan contribute? That's what I am standing here to speak about.
I think all of us in the room here share a common mission.
The mission is one of pursuing better living standards and
economic prosperity. It's a mission of bringing into full bloom the latent
potential of this great growth centre and the people living there, stretching
from Asia and the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.
We must build and then hand over to the next generation a
stage on which each and every individual can prosper still more and certainly
benefit from the fruits of growth.
“Asia” is a synonym for “growth” and another name for
“achievement.”
Take TPP. The Trans Pacific Partnership will surely bring an
overwhelming economy of scale to the Asia Pacific economies.
Just as a rocket picks up even greater acceleration in its
second and third stages, the RCEP and the FTAAP as it were, the momentum sparked
by the TPP will expand our free and creative economic sphere, enabling us to
soar even higher, and to propel the world economy forward.
And just for Japan to seek a win-win synergy with the
growing Asia Pacific region, my economic policy is now advancing at full
throttle.
If you imagine how vast the Pacific and Indian Oceans are,
our potential is exactly like the oceans, i.e., limitless, isn't it?
In order to have the generations of our children and our
children’s children share in this bounty, it's absolutely imperative that we
make peace and stability, something absolutely rock-solid.
To achieve this, all countries must observe international
law.
Ladies and gentlemen, Japan will offer its utmost support
for the efforts of the countries of ASEAN as they work to ensure the security
of the seas and the skies, and thoroughly maintain freedom of navigation and
freedom of overflight.
Japan intends to play an even greater and more proactive
role than it has until now in making peace in Asia and the world something more
certain.
As for Japan’s new banner of "Proactive Contribution to
Peace," Japan already enjoys the explicit and enthusiastic support of the
leaders of our allies and other friendly nations, including every leader of
ASEAN member countries as well as the leaders of the United States, Australia,
India, the U.K, France and others.
So let me just repeat. Japan for the rule of law. Asia for
the rule of law. And the rule of law for all of us. Peace and prosperity in
Asia, forevermore.
That's what I wish to state to you today.
My Perception of the Circumstances
May I now tell you firstly how I perceive the situation that
surrounds us in the region.
This region has achieved tremendous growth in the span of a
single generation. However, a large and relatively disproportionate amount of
the fruits of that growth is being allocated to military expansion and arms
trading. To me, this is extremely regrettable. We also find ourselves facing
the threat of weapons of mass destruction and attempts to change the status quo
through force or coercion. Clearly there exist elements that spawn instability.
And yet nowhere do we find a need to be pessimistic. That's
my approach. Recently President Barack Obama of the United States and I
mutually reaffirmed that the U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone for
regional peace and security.
President Obama and I also mutually confirmed that the
United States and Japan are strengthening trilateral cooperation with
like-minded partners to promote peace and economic prosperity in Asia and the
Pacific and around the globe.
When Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott visited Japan at
the beginning of April, we reaffirmed this exact stance, namely that in
security affairs, we will further the trilateral cooperation among Japan, the
U.S., and Australia. We clearly articulated to people both at home and abroad
our intention to elevate the strategic partnership between Japan and Australia
to a new special relationship.
In India, Mr. Narendra Modi has become Prime Minister
through another free and fair election. I am absolutely certain that when I
welcome Prime Minister Modi to Tokyo, we will successfully confirm that
Japan-India cooperation, as well as trilateral cooperation including our two
countries, will make the "confluence of the two seas," that is the
Pacific and Indian Oceans, peaceful and more prosperous.
Last year, I visited all ten ASEAN member countries, and my
determination grew increasingly firm with each country I visited.
This is because these visits taught me that we share common
groundwork regarding our commitment to valuing the rule of law, and that we enjoy
a consensus in our respect for freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight.
Indeed, in most of the countries of the region, economic
growth has steadily brought freedom of thought and religion and checks and
balances to the political systems, even though the speed of these changes
varies from country to country.
The sheer idea of the rule of law, which is one great pillar
for human rights, has taken deeper root.
Freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, which undergirds
these two, form the Asia-Pacific’s rich basso continuo that supports the melody
played in a bright and cheery key. I find myself newly gripped by that sound
day after day.
The importance of international law
I have now shared with you how I perceive the circumstances
that surround us.
Now, my first central point for today, that is that we must
observe international law.
International law prescribes the order governing the seas.
Its history is long indeed, stretching back to the days of ancient Greece, we
are told. By Roman times, the seas were already kept open to all, with personal
possession and partitioning of the sea prohibited.
Ever since what is known as the Age of Exploration, large
numbers of people have come together by crossing the seas, and marine-based
commerce has connected the globe. The principle of freedom on the high seas
came to be established, and the seas became the foundation for human
prosperity.
As history moved on, the wisdom and the practical
experiences of a great many people involved with the sea, who were at times
literally caught up in rough and raging waves, accumulated into common rules.
This is what we now know as the international law of the seas.
This law was not created by any particular country or
countries, nor was it the product of some sort of group. Instead, it is the
product of our own wisdom, cultivated over a great many years for the
well-being and the prosperity of all humankind.
Today, the benefits for each of us lie in the seas from the
Pacific to the Indian Oceans being made thoroughly open, as a place of freedom
and peace.
All of us should find one common benefit in keeping our
oceans and skies as global commons, where the rule of law is respected
throughout, to the merit of the world and humankind.
The rule of law at sea: Three principles
Now, when we say “the rule of law at sea” -- what exactly do
we mean in concrete terms? If we take the fundamental spirit that we have
infused into international law over the ages and reformulate it into three
principles, we find the rule of law at sea is actually a matter of common
sense.
The first principle is that states shall make and clarify
their claims based on international law.
The second is that states shall not use force or coercion in
trying to drive their claims.
The third principle is that states shall seek to settle
disputes by peaceful means.
So to reiterate this, it means making claims that are
faithful in light of international law, not resorting to force or coercion, and
resolving all disputes through peaceful means.
So that is all about common sense, pure and simple. And yet
these very natural things must be emphasized. I urge all of us who live in Asia
and the Pacific to each individually uphold these three principles
exhaustively.
Take a look at Indonesia and the Philippines. They have
peacefully reached agreement of late on the delimitation of their overlapping
EEZs. I welcome this as an excellent case in point that truly embodies the rule
of law.
Ladies and gentlemen, my government strongly supports the
efforts by the Philippines calling for a resolution to the dispute in the South
China Sea that is truly consistent with these three principles. We likewise
support Viet Nam in its efforts to resolve issues through dialogue.
Movement to consolidate changes to the status quo by
aggregating one fait accompli after another can only be strongly condemned as
something that contravenes the spirit of these three principles.
Would you not agree that now is the time to make a firm
pledge to return to the spirit and the provisions of the 2002 Declaration on
the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea that all concerned countries in
the Sea agreed to, and not to undertake unilateral actions associated with a
permanent physical change?
The time to devote our wisdom to restoring peaceful seas is
now.
Preventing unexpected situations
What the world eagerly awaits is for our seas and our skies
to be places governed by rules, laws, and established dispute resolution
procedures.
The least desirable state of affairs is having to fear that
coercion and threats will take the place of rules and laws and that unexpected
situations will arise at arbitrary times and places.
I strongly hope that a truly effective Code of Conduct can
be established in the South China Sea between ASEAN and China and that it can
be achieved swiftly.
Japan and China have an agreement concluded in 2007 between
then-Premier Wen Jiabao and myself, when I was serving as Prime Minister. That
was a commitment we made to create a maritime and air communication mechanism
in order to prevent unexpected situations between Japan and China.
Unfortunately, this has not led to the actual operation of
such a mechanism.
We do not welcome dangerous encounters by fighter aircraft
and vessels at sea. What we must exchange are words. Should we not meet at the
table, first exchanging smiles as we sit down to have discussions?
It is my firm belief that commencing the operation of this
agreement between our two countries will lead to peace and stability of the
region as a whole.
Strengthening the East Asia Summit and making military budgets
transparent
Be that as it may, in my view, the time has come to place
emphasis on the East Asia Summit.
The ARF is a meeting held at the Foreign Minister level,
while the ADMM+ is, as the name describes, a meeting at the Defence Minister
level. There is no stage that outshines the East Asia Summit as a venue for
heads of state and government to come together and discuss the order that is
desirable.
Keeping military expansion in check and making military
budgets transparent, as well as enlarging the number of countries that conclude
the Arms Trade Treaty and improving mutual understanding between authorities in
charge of national defence -- there is no lack of issues those of us national
leaders ought to take up, applying peer pressure on each other.
I urge the further enhancement of the East Asia Summit, as
the premier forum taking up regional politics and security.
Next year marks the tenth anniversary of the launch of the
EAS.
I propose that we first create a permanent committee
comprised of permanent representatives to ASEAN from the member countries and
then prepare a roadmap to bring renewed vitality to the Summit itself while
also making the Summit along with the ARF and the ADMM+ function in a
multi-layered fashion.
The first thing we should discuss is the principle of
disclosure.
We have all heard the saying that “sunshine is the best
disinfectant.”
From now, Asia will continue to play the leading role in
pulling the prosperity of the world forward.
Military expansion is not merely ill-matched but also
inherently unworthy of such a place as this.
The fruits of prosperity should instead be reinvested into
even greater prosperity and improving people’s lives.
I believe that a framework under which we publicly disclose
our military budgets step by step that enables us to cross-check each other is
a system that we should seek to establish as we extend the scope of the East
Asia Summit.
Support for ASEAN
Ladies and gentlemen, Japan will offer its utmost support
for efforts by ASEAN member countries to ensure the security of the seas and
skies and rigorously maintain freedom of navigation and overflight. Then what
will Japan actually support, and how?
We have decided to provide ten new patrol vessels to the
Philippine Coast Guard. We have already provided three brand-new patrol vessels
to Indonesia through grant aid cooperation. And we are moving forward with the
necessary survey to enable us to provide such vessels to Viet Nam as well.
No less important, when hard assets are sent out from Japan,
experts also follow, together with instruction in the relevant technical
skills. By doing so, the bonds between the people on the Japan side and the
recipient side invariably become stronger.
We also convey to the partners our sense of pride in
committing ourselves to our duties.
By cultivating a high degree of morale and proficiency and
sharing our stringent training, buds of lasting friendship emerge.
Even if we look only at the three countries of the
Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, the number of people easily surpasses
250, who have learned from Japan about how coast guard operations should be
conducted.
In 2012, when we invited to Japan higher-ranking officials
within the agencies enforcing maritime law in each of the five major ASEAN
countries, all throughout the month-long training period, three members of the
Japan Coast Guard were assigned to each person receiving training, with all of
them living eating and sleeping together under the same roof.
I understand that one participant from Malaysia said that,
“In Japan, the technical aspects of course, but also the high level of morale
of each individual is superb. What I wish to take back home with me is this
spirit.” I feel that this trainee really understood what we were actually
trying to convey.
Here in Singapore representatives of the ReCAAP member
nations are on high alert twenty four hours a day spotting piracy. Heading the
ReCAAP Information Centre at present is a Japanese.
Recently, Japan has formulated new principles governing the
cases in which defence equipment and technology can be transferred to other
countries.
We are now able to send out Japan’s superb defence
equipment, such as for rescue, transportation, vigilance, surveillance, and
minesweeping, in cases in which appropriate control can be ensured, on the
basis of a strict examination.
Japan and the recipient country are first to forge a written
agreement, and to make the whole process forward.
Japan will combine various options within its assistance
menu, including ODA, capacity building by the Self-defence Forces, and defence
equipment and technology cooperation, to support seamlessly the capacity of
ASEAN countries in safeguarding the seas.
I have stated all that as a pledge to you.
“Proactive Contribution to Peace” and reconstruction of the
legal basis for security
I will now talk about my final topic for today, and that is
about the new banner Japan has chosen to raise.
We are in an era in which it is no longer possible for any
one nation to secure its own peace only by itself.
This is a view shared throughout the world. That is exactly
why it is incumbent upon us in Japan to reconstruct the legal basis pertinent
to the right of collective self-defence and to international cooperation,
including the United Nations peacekeeping operations. On my watch, discussion
is underway in Japan.
Japan’s Self-Defence Forces are at this very moment working
hard to foster peace in South Sudan, only recently independent, under the flag
of the United Nations Mission there.
Units from such countries as Cambodia, Mongolia, Bangladesh,
India, Nepal, the Republic of Korea, and China are participating in this same
Mission.
There are also a great many civilian UN staffers as well as
members of NGOs from various countries. They are all partners with us in the
sense that they are all assisting in South Sudan’s nation-building.
Imagine now that civilians or NGO workers there, powerless
to defend themselves, came under sudden attack by armed elements.
Under the approach that the Japanese government has taken to
date, Japan’s Self-Defence Forces are unable to go rescue these civilians
enduring the attack.
Is this an appropriate response into the future?
My government is thinking hard about it, and a close
consultation is underway within the ruling coalition parties.
It is precisely because Japan is a country that depends a
great deal on the peace and stability of the international community that Japan
wishes to work even more proactively for world peace, and wishes to raise the
banner of “Proactive Contributor to Peace.”
Who are “new Japanese” about?
Ladies and gentlemen, Japan has for multiple generations
walked a single path, loving freedom and human rights, valuing law and order,
abhorring war, and earnestly and determinedly pursuing peace, never wavering in
the least. We will continue to walk this same path, unchanged, for generations
upon generations to come.
I would like all of you gathered here today to understand
that point in a way that is absolutely crystal clear.
Over what is almost now a year and a half, I have worked to
the very best of my ability to remake the Japanese economy into an economy that
once more grows robustly, abundant with innovations.
People call this “Abenomics” and classify it as a type of
economic policy.
But for me, it is a mission that goes far beyond economic
policy. It is nothing less than an undertaking to foster “new Japanese” who
will shoulder the responsibilities of the coming years.
And who are these “new Japanese” about?
They are Japanese who have lost none of the good qualities
of the Japanese of days gone by.
Japanese who loathe poverty and believe that universal
values are found in the joy of hard work have, since the days when Asia was
still said to be synonymous with being impoverished, have continued to
contribute untiringly to the construction of Asia’s economies, in the belief
that there is no reason why other Asian countries would be unable to accomplish
what the Japanese themselves achieved.
The “new Japanese” are not different in the least from their
fathers and grandfathers in the sense of rejoicing at each and every one of
these selfless and unselfish contributions.
If anything has changed, it is that women will be both the
target recipients of, and the people responsible for, Japan’s support and
cooperation with increasing frequency.
Bear in mind that all three of the Japanese who helped
create the civil code and the code of civil procedure in Cambodia were young
female judges and public prosecutors.
It was in August 2011 that President Benigno Aquino III of
the Philippines and Chairman Murad Ebrahim of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
held their top-level meeting in Narita, Japan. It was March of this year that a
comprehensive peace agreement was finally reached between the two sides.
Two years from now, the Bansamoro local government will
finally let out its first cry as a newborn. Now, to help support the locals, in
what areas is the Japanese assistance team concentrating their investment?
One area is having women gain enough ability to make a
living. In Mindanao, Japan built a vocational training centre for women. What
now echoes through Mindanao, where the sounds of gunshots and angry cries have
disappeared, is the light whir of sewing machines women are operating.
Given the fact that at the end of the day, the growth engine
continues to be human beings and are likely to be women placed in an unfair and
disadvantaged position, as has been the case until now, the “new Japanese” are
people who spare no effort to improve the abilities of these people.
The “new Japanese” are Japanese who are delighted at the
prosperity of Asia and the Pacific as their own personal source of joy and who
discover values and a reason for living in making Japan a place of hopes and
dreams for aspiring young people in the region. They are Japanese that could go
beyond their national borders and have a broad-minded sense of self identity.
From China to Japan, dozens of high school students come
each year. They spread out all over the Japanese archipelago, spanning the
nation north to south, and share their daily lives and their studies with
Japanese high school students for a full year.
Without exception, these young men and women are moved by
the friendships they have made with their Japanese schoolmates, and go back to
their home country shedding tears at the affection they have received from
their host families. They head back calling Japan their second home.
I want the “new Japanese” to place even greater importance
on that spirit of welcoming non-Japanese with such deep affection.
These “new Japanese” are Japanese who are determined
ultimately to take on the peace, order, and stability of this region as their
own responsibility.
They are people who possess the drive to shoulder the
responsibilities of peace and order in the Asia-Pacific region, working
together with our regional partners with whom we share the values of human
rights and freedom.
“Proactive Contribution to Peace” -- the new banner for such
“new Japanese” -- is nothing other than an expression of Japan’s determination
to spare no effort or trouble for the sake of the peace, security, and
prosperity of Asia and the Pacific, at even greater levels than before.
We will do this together with our regional colleagues, our
partners with whom we share our ambitions and our values.
Taking our alliance with the United States as the foundation
and respecting our partnership with ASEAN, Japan will spare no effort to make
regional stability, peace, and prosperity into something rock-solid.
In our future, the highway to peace and prosperity rolls out
wide before us. Our responsibility to the next generation is to bring this
region’s potential for growth into full bloom.
So once again, Japan for the rule of law. Asia for the rule
of law. And the rule of law for all of us. Peace and prosperity in Asia,
forevermore.
Thank you.
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