Speaking Out
Tomoyuki Abe: Time for Change
This month, Ambassador Tomoyuki Abe of Japan “speaks out” on issues as diverse as reform of the United Nations Security Council and the importance of a high-quality labour force in attracting Japanese investment. Ambassador Abe also agreed to comment on the tensions over North Korea’s nuclear programme and on the prospects for Iraq following the recent elections. In the course of his 38-year career, the ambassador has worked in Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta, and more recently as Consul-General of Japan in Chicago. Before being appointed ambassador to Ankara in September 2003, he was director of the Foreign Service Training Institute of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has already acquired a modicum of “Istanbul Turkish” to complement his “Oxford English”.
1. Reforming the UNSC
By the time the UN General Assembly meets in September, we would like to see the outline of an agreement on reform of the United Nations Security Council.
The recent report to the UN Secretary General of the so-called High-Level Panel suggests various reforms in the future structure of the organisation. It deals with many important subjects including development, arms reduction and human security. One section of the report suggests that there need to be certain reforms in the status of the Security Council if it is to meet present-day demands.
Two models are suggested. One is an increase in the numbers of both permanent and non-permanent members; the other is to increase the number of members of the Council by introducing a new category of members who would have longer terms than the existing non-permanent members.
Japan is in favour of the former model – namely, an increase in both the permanent and non-permanent members. In this, out views are shared by Germany, India and Brazil, and we are coordinating closely with them.
Under this proposal, the members of the United Nations would be more properly represented - particularly the developing countries and countries located in certain regions.
Japan is seriously considering a candidacy to become a permanent member of the Security Council. However, this is a means rather than an end. The main purpose of reform is not to get a seat on the Security Council but to ensure the better functioning of the UN as a whole.
Of course, we place just as much importance on the other issues, like development and disarmament, as we do on the reform of the Security Council. We also agree that a broader restructuring is necessary to strengthen the functions of the UN. But it is very difficult to handle all these matters at the same time. The Security Council plays the key role in the functioning of the UN, and reform has been on the agenda for a decade now. If we can at least get some rough concept of what direction we are going in by September, then procedurally we will be better placed to tackle the other issues.
The issue of North Korea and its nuclear programme creates a very serious problem of how to stabilise the region. Even for us, the Japanese, who live very close to North Korea, and who have people of North Korean descent among us, the situation there is something of a mystery.
Recently, for example, the North Korean National Broadcasting Office publicly announced that they would not attend the six-party talks and implied that that process was over. Then all of a sudden the country’s top leader Kim Jong-il made the reverse statement and said they would come back to the six-party talks on certain conditions. So it is really hard to know who to trust. And that is probably the heart of the problem.
The North Koreans have now made a statement to the effect that they have already developed nuclear weapons. But everybody is still discussing whether it is true or not. Nobody can say that the statement is false, but nobody 100% believes it either. The six-party talks are supposed to be a discussion forum. But from time to time North Korea just stays away, and uses its mere participation in the talks as a sort of bargaining chip.
In the past, the North Koreans reached an agreement with the US, which was supported by most of the international community, including the EU. Accordingly, they were to halt the development of nuclear systems and in return they were to receive a certain type of nuclear generator and oil fuels to close their energy gap in the meantime. All of a sudden, however, the North Korean side pulled out. So even if certain formulae can be found to solve the problem, as long as Pyongyang maintains this slippery stance, the problem remains: how can any arrangement be secured?
It seems that, North Korea is always looking at the U.S. moves. However, when it comes to the talks, we rely very much on China initiatives. It seems to us and to many others that China has a certain influence over North Korea. The Chinese leadership may have persuaded Kim Jong-il to rejoin the six-party conference. We know that Chinese influence too has its limits. But at the present that is the only effective way to proceed.
Japan has military personnel in Iraq but they are there in a non-combat capacity. It was too dangerous to send civilians to Iraq, so we sent military personnel to carry out civilian tasks. Legally, their mandate has now been extended up until the end of 2005, so they will be there until the end of the year unless there is some important deterioration in the security situation. In principle, they will leave when security and stability return to Iraq.
We have about 600 personnel of our Self Defence Forces in Samawah city in southwest Iraq. They are not taking part in military operations, and they are only authorised to defend themselves if they are attacked. It is a relatively stable area and they have carried out quite a lot of civil engineering work. They started with restoring the water supply, and they later extended their work to the reconstruction of school buildings, road repairs, the rebuilding of some small clinics and so on.
I am not an expert on the Iraqi political situation and I have no inside information from Iraq. However, staging the election was a big accomplishment. It seems to me that this accomplishment must have some effect on the minds of Iraqi nationals, whether they are in favour of the coalition forces and the government or not. I hope this will help to add weight to the interim government to be formed.
Turkey is really attractive for tourists. There are many historical sights and natural beauties. The food is good and you can have a lot of fun, whether on the beach, at discos or at sports events. The European Cup match in November 2003 which was due to be held in Istanbul was sold out in Japan. Unfortunately, the Istanbul bombings prevented the event from taking place but the fact remains that this kind of attraction exists. I for one am enjoying my stay here, and I am sure there will be more Japanese visitors.
As for business, Turkey’s entry into the EU is by no means a disadvantage for the Japanese. The EU accession process will benefit Turkey socially and economically. In some respects, Turkey has already joined the EU market. Often, the problem is that while rules and regulations are at the European level, practice falls short. But the government and private sector are both making very good efforts to improve these practices. With the help of the accession process I expect these problems of implementation to decline.
Japanese business people are always seeking good sites for their investments. It seems to me that Turkey is very little known to them. This is the biggest obstacle to closer relations between the business communities of the two countries. From time to time I have to ask those who have invested here already to spread propaganda in Japan on Turkey's behalf.
On the Turkish side, I often hear the argument that Turkey is about to enter the EU and has a young labour force, making it an ideal place for Japanese investments. However, there are a lot of countries which are about to enter the EU, or which have just entered it, or which have a young workforce. So I think Turkey should also emphasise the quality of its workforce.
The Toyota plant in Adapazarý is currently making the best cars among all the Toyota products in the world. Toyota did a lot of groundwork to achieve this. First they recruited good candidates. Then they brought them to the home factory in Nagoya, where they taught them not only technical matters but also what they call the 'Toyota spirit'. So for example, if something goes wrong on the production line, the workers gather round to discuss it and find a solution. The Turkish workers took the lesson to heart. They really understood what was expected of them. And this is why production in Adapazarý has worked.
After training, Turkish workers can be a top-class labour force and this is the point that Turkey should announce to the World to attract foreign investors. If this was better known in Japan, then there would be more Japanese investors in Turkey.
(DIPLOMAT – March 2005)