By Xinhua writer Luo Jun (
Xinhua) 20:36, July 11, 2014
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Comments twitter facebook Sina Microblog reddit BEIJING, July 11 -- When Shinzo Abe gutted Japan's pacifist constitution early this monthto allow Japanese forces to fight abroad, Uncle Sam clapped and cheered, withoutexhibiting any scruples.
On the first look, the United States has good reason to do so. The constitutionalreinterpretation Abe's cabinet adopted paves the way for Japan to play a bigger militaryrole in Washington's regional maneuvers and thus in safeguarding the U.S. preponderancein Asia.
Tempting as it is, such a line of thinking is myopic and -- historically speaking -- wishful. Asdepicted in an old Chinese saying, the world's sole superpower is drinking poison to quenchits thirst for global and regional leadership.
For starters, the Abe administration has proved to be a remorseless troublemaker in theregion. From the farcical purchase of China's Diaoyu Islands to his outrageous visit to theYasukuni Shrine, the prime minister has repeatedly infuriated neighboring countries.
And with its increasing bellicosity in territorial disputes and unmistakable connivance atthe revival of Japanese militarism, the Abe administration has already added more malignvariables to regional security calculations.
Against such a backdrop, the scuttling of Japan's ban on exercising the right to collectiveself-defense is alarming, not only to its neighbors, which suffered tremendously fromJapanese aggressions in the past, but also to the United States, whose interest is bestserved by a stable Asia rather than by a provocative and opportunistic Tokyo ready todrag it into senseless wars.
The wariness about Abe's constitutional tampering in both domestic and internationalopinion is justifiable. For the Japanese, Abe is befouling their nation's pacifist soul andleading their country down a dangerous path. For neighboring nations, the trend isreminiscent of the lead-up to the dark days merely seven decades ago.
The historical nightmares of Asian nations might be remote for the United States, but thePearl Harbor incident should have taught it a good lesson: Extremist right-wing elementsin Japan should never be allowed to flare up again from the ashes.
As U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel meets his Japanese counterpart, Itsunori Onodera,in Washington on Friday, it is high time that the United States reconsidered itsendorsement for Abe's Faustian flirtation with the specter of war.
In strategic planning, trade-offs between short-term and long-term interests may beinevitable now and then. But on matters of cardinal significance, it is always advisable tothink back and think far.
(Editor:Du Mingming、Bianji)
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