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V. Toward Realization of Enlightened National Interest
Until today, foreign and security policy making has been monopolized by the government and a handful of professionals. The Japanese people have not received a sufficient explanation of how foreign and security policy is directly linked to their lives. For a country's foreign policy to be implemented successfully, it must be understood, appreciated, and supported by its citizens. At the same time, we need to construct a multilayered and participatory foreign policy process to avoid the pitfall of an introverted attitude and to treat fellow Asians as our equals when planning the country's foreign and security policy.
To carry out foreign and security policy, the government needs to be equipped with both power, leadership, and diplomatic infrastructure, which we, the Democratic Party of Japan, are in the process of preparing. Upon completion of the groundwork, the new government of Japan, supported by what we call "humility based on self-confidence," will sail out to pursue its three visions of a peaceful and prosperous Asia, evolution of Japan-U.S. relationship, and contribution to world peace and stability.
1. Founding Soft Power Japan: Toward a Charismatic and Trustworthy Country
Postwar Japan has been accepted and respected by the world not only because of its democratic and economic development but also because of its history of learning from its mistakes before and during the war to rebuild itself from the rubble. This experience of Japan has provided hope and inspiration to many countries in the world that are struggling with nation building. For this and other reasons, Japan should pursue the path toward founding "Soft Power Japan."
The power that Japan will pursue is the soft power of a charismatic and trustworthy country with a rich culture, high technology, and a safe and affluent society. Japan will not pursue the foreign policy of might based on military power. Japan wishes to be charismatic and trustworthy not through its coercive power but through its diplomatic power, which represents Japan's willingness to share its economic affluence, cultural attractiveness, and people's wisdom, as well as the very stature of the nation, including its political convictions and diplomatic philosophy. At stake here is the nation's image itself in addition to its economic and cultural attractiveness. To achieve this soft power Japan, we urgently need to carry out the plans outlined in our vision to steadily transform Japan's politics, economy, and foreign policy.
A country open to the world; a country that offers an abundance of opportunities; a country full of pride as an Asian nation that yet can connect Asia with the West; a country with a high ideal for the future of the world that actively contributes to world peace and poverty alleviation; a country that takes the initiative in nuclear nonproliferation to pursue the ideal of the total abolition of nuclear arms; a country whose NGOs, corporations, and individual citizens, on top of its government, are actively engaged in world affairs ?these represent the shape Japan must find itself in 2015, and these are the attractive features of Japan that it will share with the world.
The new government of Japan will be responsible for building such a charismatic and powerful nation and pursuing its enlightened national interest in order to create a better country and world in ten years.
2. Strengthening Its Diplomatic Infrastructure
Our vision cannot be implemented without effective foreign policy infrastructure. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs alone cannot handle diplomacy in the age of globalization. The new government of Japan will construct an all-Japan diplomatic infrastructure, utilizing all the resources including universities, research institutions, business people, local governments, NGOs, and overseas Japanese on top of the national bureaucracy.
We cannot proceed without reform of the office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. First, a permanent post of foreign and security policy adviser reporting directly to the Prime Minister must be established and the capability of the Security Council greatly enhanced as central bodies to upgrade strategic and policy planning capability.
We will further reform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to upgrade its capability to execute foreign policy. No less than 20 percent of Japanese ambassadorial posts must be filled by non-official individuals such as scholars, NGO representatives, heads of local governments, and former legislators. Particularly in key countries such as the United States and China, the most appropriate private citizens will be aggressively appointed as ambassadors. Through these measures, we hope to consolidate an all- Japan setup for foreign policy that is supported by the citizens.
The post of ambassador to the United Nations should be upgraded to an equivalent of a cabinet post and should be appointed by the prime minister. The Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations must be fundamentally reformed so that Japan can fulfill its responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council. The prime minister must appoint his special envoys and roving ambassadors (ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary who rove around countries as official diplomatic envoys) in such important areas as history issues, culture and sports, NGO affairs, the environment, arms control, regional cooperation, and ODA. Diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are expected to professionally contribute in international organizations, promote world peace and stability, and help upgrade Japan's national interest as well as presence.
Improvement of intelligence capability, which is indispensable for policy development, is another urgent issue. We must urgently integrate and strengthen Japan's intelligence institutions and introduce a mechanism through which the cabinet can centrally grasp and evaluate information. We propose to launch a "Cabinet Information Commission" (provisional name) which reports directly to the cabinet in order to evaluate necessary information on the nation's foreign policy, defense, and security and utilize it in policy making. It would also be important to improve the quality of area studies in Japan and adopt their findings and insights into foreign policy.
3. Humility Based on Self-Confidence
Japan's foreign policy in the past has been heavily dependent on the United States and far from autonomous. This foreign policy does not have the power to promote construction of a regional order in Asia nor a vision for the reform of governance in international organizations. Only a disappointing world can be the outcome of this kind of foreign policy after ten years. Its symptoms are already apparent in the current government diplomacy, which is deadlocked. This kind of foreign policy actually harms Japan's enlightened national interest.
In contrast, the new government of Japan will nurture mutual trust with neighboring countries to promote the East Asian Community, construct a Japan-U.S. relationship in which both parties can act and interact with each other autonomously, and actively contribute to world peace and stability. It needs to be emphasized repeatedly that only by building mutual trust with Asian countries, particularly our direct neighbors, can Japan's foreign policy be more encompassing and creative. Our enlightened national interest will be accomplished when, through these policies, we succeed in realizing the desirable world scenario in ten years.
The concept of a zero-sum national interest, chauvinistic nationalism, or indifference to foreign countries is not only useless but also harmful. The new government of Japan will pursue foreign policy to achieve harmony with the world under the concept of enlightened national interest.
We should be proud and confident of the role Japan has played in the post-war economic and democratic development in East Asia. Today, a great number of Japanese citizens are making invaluable contributions in various war zones in the world, as members of NGOs, Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, and international organizations. Their presence and activities are very encouraging and inspiring when envisioning Japan's future.
The foundation of the foreign and security policy of the new government of Japan can be summarized as "humility based on self-confidence." We can be accommodative of diverse values, tolerant of others, and honest about our own errors because we have self-confidence. In other words, we can afford to be modest. The new government of Japan will exercise this "humility based on self-confidence" when fulfilling its responsibility in Asia as well as the world as a whole. To create a Japan that can live harmoniously with the peoples of the world is indeed in Japan's enlightened national interest and the responsibility that we owe to the next generation under the leadership of the new government.
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