Japanese editorial excerpts -2-

Japan Policy & Politics, March 1, 2004

TOKYO, Feb. 26 Kyodo

Selected editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

AN ENDORSEMENT FROM MR. ANNAN (The Japan Times, an English-language daily)

With Japan taking an important part in the reconstruction of Iraq, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's five-day visit here, starting last Saturday, could not have come at a better time. His trip has given Japanese government leaders -- including not only Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi but also Mr. Naoto Kan, the opposition party head -- an excellent opportunity to exchange views with the world's top diplomat on ways of rebuilding Iraq and reforming the United Nations.

The visit came at a time when the world body, its reputation shaken by deep international divisions over the Iraq war, must re-establish its presence and repair the creaking system of international cooperation. A stronger U.N. role is a sine qua non for peace and stability in the war-torn country.

The discussions with Mr. Annan apparently produced no specific results in terms of a future U.N. role in Iraq. However, this does not lessen the significance of his visit, which has given a fresh boost to Japan's U.N. diplomacy. Mr. Annan's visit has offered an opportunity for Japan to discuss diplomatic efforts toward building a broad framework of international collaboration through the world peacekeeping body.

The security situation in Iraq remains volatile 10 months after an end to major combat operations was declared. Much of this volatility can be traced to the way in which the United States and Britain launched the war over the objections of France, Germany, Russia and China -- without the explicit mandate of the Security Council. Bringing them back together -- that is, reinstating the U.N. as the chief player in the game -- is key to Iraq's recovery and reconstruction.

The war challenged Japan's two-track diplomacy centering on the U.S. and the U.N. In staunchly supporting the war, the Japanese government sided with the U.S. administration. And in sending a considerable number of troops to Iraq and pledging the second-largest amount of aid after that of the U.S., Tokyo has reinforced its pro-American policy.

The fact that weapons of mass destruction have not been found in Iraq has deepened doubts over the U.S. case for starting a "preemptive war." As a result, U.S. leadership in Iraq -- and in the world at large -- has suffered. Sooner or later, the U.N., not the U.S., must take the lead in guiding Iraq's transition to stability and democracy. Japan's heavy ''tilt'' toward the U.S. needs fine-tuning.

Mr. Annan's visit, which was arranged at Mr. Koizumi's request, may well have been intended, at least in part, to deflect criticism here and abroad that Japan is ''doing the bidding of America.'' Mr. Annan met Mr. Koizumi's wish with a favorable reference to Japan's dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Samawah, Iraq, to help with reconstruction and humanitarian assistance. Mr. Koizumi and other Japanese leaders took that as an endorsement of Japan's decision to send troops to Iraq for noncombat purposes. However, Japan's ''cooperation with the U.N.'' will remain largely in the realm of rhetoric unless Tokyo pursues more active U.N. diplomacy.

The U.N.'s role in Iraq is now unnecessarily limited. For it to work effectively, the international community must unite. The immediate test is to ensure a smooth transfer of sovereignty by June 30 -- a plan worked out by the Coalition Provisional Authority and the U.S.-appointed Governing Council. The question for the U.N., which supports the plan, is how it can play a leadership role in this crucial period of political transition.

Regarding U.N. reform, Mr. Annan's address to the General Assembly last year is worth noting for his balanced view of U.S. ''unilateralism.'' While criticizing the strategy of preemption, he warned against a blanket denunciation of unilateralism. The U.N., he declared, should demonstrate its ability to deal effectively with U.S. concerns about possible ties between weapons of mass destruction and terrorist networks.

One important lesson of the Iraq war is that military action against a sovereign state, however well-intended, cannot succeed unless it is explicitly supported by the U.N. Even the world's sole superpower, acting alone, cannot move and shake things as it likes. The biggest challenge for the world today is to meet new security threats, notably international terrorism, by bringing the U.S. back into a broad circle of international cooperation.

At the same time, the U.N. must bolster its functions as the anchor of multilateralism. Mr. Annan's new blue-ribbon panel of advisers, including Ms. Sadako Ogata, the former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, should come up with specific plans for reform toward such a goal.

(Feb. 26)