Sarkozy is now visiting Algeria,but there was no apology on France’s brutal past on the country.Yet do I hear any moral outcry?

Just one another sample why I think foreign commenter on Japanese diplomacy has some serious trouble in their intellectual integrity.

Here’s Robyn Lim,Australian scholar currently got a post at a university in Nagoya,praising right-wing ex-diplomat Okazaki Hisahiko in 2000 at his 70’th birthday.

When I worked for the Office of National Assessments (ONA), Australia’s foreign intelligence assessment agency, Ambassador Okazaki was regarded as the best strategic thinker in Japan. He was kind enough to spend time talking to visiting ONA officials, who understood, as he did, the importance of preserving a benign balance of power in East Asia, and why the US-Japan alliance was so important, including for Australian security. With the Cold War won, East Asia’s great challenge now is how to integrate China peacefully into the regional order. That can be done only by a combination of economic incentives and credible reminders to Beijing’s leaders that the costs of war would outweigh all possible benefits. Better coordination among America’s East Asian allies is essential to achieving this goal, and the Okazaki Institute is playing an important role in doing so. It is also fitting that the triumph of democratic transition on Taiwan should occur in the same year as Ambassador Okazaki’s 70th birthday, since he has done so much to help preserve Taiwan’s de facto independence. We all hope that by the time Ambassador Okazaki turns 80, a similar transition will have occurred in Beijing, and that China will be enjoying its rightful place as a responsible and cooperative member of the East Asian system.

Robyn Lim,
Professor of International Relations,
Faculty of Policy Studies,
Nanzan University,
Nagoya

Here’s Robyn Lim,currently thinking about quiting Nanzan,because she thinks Nanzan is “xenophobic”(current dean of Nazan is a German national,mind you)
and thinking about going back to downunder.

NBR U.S-JAPAN discussion 2007
(QUOTE)

Here we have Hisahiko Okazaki in denial, as he was on the “comfort women” issue.

He was in the Japan Times the other day again egging on Chen Shui-bian.

In my darker moments, I think he really does want to provoke a US-China war before China gets too powerful, while Japan does nothing more than hold Uncle Sam’s coat..

Robyn Lim

Now,why do I think 1854 was a big mistake…..

Bryce:

I know nothing about Mino-Sasakawa connection.But local government gets 2.6% of profit of boat racing.
http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/org/profile/zaigen.html

Along with these money,there are gainings from cheap bars and sex related services around race yard.

Going back to the topic relating with Burma-Japan relation,there are some papers in Chalmers Johnson’s JPRI called “Japan’s Buma lovers”by same Donald Seekins in 1999. So I knew his ideas on the matter. He concludes his paper like this. “Tokyo’s Burma policy, deeply influenced by the sentimental Orientalism of the business world and its allies, says as much about the limitations of Japanese-style democracy as it does about the lack of democracy in Burma.”
I couldn’t understand what he was saying because contradiction between democratic values in domestic politics and national interest reflected in foreign policies are not very uniquely Japanese thing.(I am skeptic about current state of Japanese democracy,but that is a different matter).

One of the reason is I had been to this apartment in Kouenji where all the inhabitants were Burmese refugees(about 6 people) back in 1995. The place was owned by the member of so called Biruma-Kai,fraternity group of ex-Japanese imperial army veterans fought in Burmese front. He let these people stay there for free. While Biruma-Kai was associated with Sasakawa and Izokukai and SLORC,at the time running the junta,all of the inhavitants in this apartment were Suu Kyii supporters. It was them who took me to the demonstration rally to the embassy in Shinagawa. I’ve aloso learned that Burmese Youth Volunteer Association,the democratic movement group in Japan,has branch office in Shizuoka using local B&B owned by another Biruma Kai member.This B&B was not only acted as office but the refugees worked there as employee and all the outcome of their lavor were used to sustain there stay in Japan and also for the movement.

“In 1984, at the age of seventy-one, Borlaug was drawn out of retirement by Ryoichi Sasakawa, who with Jimmy Carter was working to get African agriculture moving. Carter was campaigning in favor of fertilizer aid to Africa, as he still does today. The former President had fallen in with Sasakawa, who during the Second World War had founded the National Essence Mass Party, a Japanese fascist group, but who in later life developed a conscience. Today the Sasakawa Peace Foundation is a leading supporter of disarmament initiatives; Carter and Sasakawa often made joint appearances for worthy causes.

Sasakawa called Borlaug, who related his inability to obtain World Bank or foundation help for high-yield-agriculture initiatives in Africa. Sasakawa was dumbfounded that a Nobel Peace Prize winner couldn’t get backing for a philanthropic endeavor. He offered to fund Borlaug in Africa for five years. Borlaug said, “I’m seventy-one. I’m too old to start again.” Sasakawa replied, “I’m fifteen years older than you, so I guess we should have started yesterday.” Borlaug, Carter, and Sasakawa traveled to Africa to pick sites, and the foundation Sasakawa-Global 2000 was born.”

I’m not terribly knowledgeable about Sato, but it seems to me he didn’t need Sasakawa’s support for the top job. He was Kishi’s brother, but he was also Yoshida’s protege. He thus had good connections within the two main competing factions of the LDP. He may have welcomed Sasakawa’s support, but I doubt it was decisive.

I’ll get back with more later….

Yes, that he is.

Sasagawa shouts everytime at the ending of each commercials “Jinrui mina kyodai (all humans are brothers)”.

It is said that this was a kind of post war translation by Sasagawa of the notorious Japanese war time slogans Hakko ichiu(八紘一宇）. “Eight corners around the world under one roof”, or “All the world under the roof of the emperor” ,in other words “All human are brothers under the emperor”.

In post-war time he just dropped the “under the emperor” part.