Assesing the People's Diplomacy and Its Impacts
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HAOL, Núm. 7 (Primavera, 2005), 67-81 ISSN 1696-2060 ASSESING THE PEOPLE’S DIPLOMACY AND ITS IMPACTS ON THE US-JAPAN SECURITY ALLIANCE Tao Peng Minnesota State University, United States. E-mail: [email protected] Recibido: 10 Marzo 2005 / Revisado: 15 Abril 2005 / Aceptado: 07 Mayo 2005 / Publicado: 15 Junio 2005 Resumen: For years, in regard to the East Asia However, within three years, the changing cold war and the Chinese foreign policy, international situation in East Asia forced the scholars have focused more on the Sino- PRC to abandon such a radical policy. American confrontation or tough Sino-Soviet Following the conclusion of the PRC-Soviet relations but ignored China’s policy toward alliance treaty in early 1950 and PRC's Japan. Actually, different from its tough policy intervention in the Korean War later this year, toward the United Status, the Chinese Japan Sino-American confrontation had become the policy during the Cold War was largely flexible major theme of the East Asian cold war. and soft, which was typically shown in its Besides economic embargo and military People’s Diplomacy with emphasis on non- confrontation in Korea, the United States also governmental contacts. This paper not only signed the peace and security treaties with discusses the origins and development of this Japan and forced Japan to conclude a separate new diplomatic approach but also explores its peace treaty with the defeated Chinese impacts on Japan and the US-Japan security Nationalist government in Taiwan rather than alliance. Based on Chinese, American, and the Communist government in the mainland. Japanese sources recently available, it argues Japan, the only industrial country in Asia, thus that the People’s Diplomacy, with its soft tone had been incorporated into Washington's anti- and great flexibility, effectively undermined the China cold war alliance. The possibility to US-Japan cold war security alliance. establish any official diplomacy between China Palabras clave: China, Cold War, East Asia, and post-occupation Japan disappeared. Under foreign policy, international relations, Japan, the circumstances, PRC leaders realized that it USA. was unrealistic for Japan to totally escape from _____________________ America's clutches in the near future. THE ORIGINS OF THE PEOPLE'S At the same time, their radical policy to Japan DIPLOMACY suffered fiasco when JCP's reckless and unsuccessful strikes and riots in Japan were he People's Diplomacy was not the suppressed by the Japanese government in mid- official Japan policy of the Chinese 1950. As the JCP's influence dramatically TCommunists in the late 1940s. When the declined in Japan, the Chinese Communists Chinese Communist Party (CCP) defeated the could not place any hope on the Communist Nationalists in the civil war and founded the revolution in Japan in the near future as they People's Republic of China (PRC) in October urged the JCP before. 1949, CCP leaders, with their fervent revolutionary enthusiasm, took a radical policy More important, CCP leaders realized the toward Japan which was still under American Chinese could not ignore Japan in their fighting military occupation. They urged the Japanese American threat. After all, the two Asian Communist Party (JCP) to use "the countries had had over one thousand years of revolutionary spirit" to step by step friendly relations, except recent fifty years of "revolutionize" the Japanese people against the conflict and hostility. Fortunately to the CCP, US "imperialism" and Japanese "reactionary the Japanese were not unanimously siding with forces"1. America against China. Although the Japanese © Historia Actual Online 2005 67 Assesing the People’s diplomacy Tao Peng pro-American conservative government led by to use unofficial communications and contacts Yoshida Shigeru rejected to recognize the PRC as the first step to promote the establishment of regime, the appeal for promoting Sino-Japanese official relationship (Min Jian Xian Xing, Yi relationship among the Japanese had never Min Cu Guan). The new policy directly aimed disappeared. To them, China had stayed as an against Washington's embargo and containment important and attractive market for Japan. As strategy. CCP leaders believed that, as long as early as May 1949, pro-China Dietmembers the people between the two countries were established a Dietmen's League for the engaged in mutual contacts, commerce and Promotion of Sino-Japanese Trade, including friendly cooperation, the majority of the members from the conservatives to the left Japanese people would support the wing socialists2. And Japanese businessmen normalization of Sino-Japanese relations and also formed the Association for Promoting push the Japanese government to change its Sino-Japanese Trade (APSJT) [Nitchu Boeki lean-to-America policy and achieve the Sokushinkai]. Soon, the Japan-China Friendship normalization goal5. Association (JCFA) [Nitchu Yuko Kyokai] was established, aiming to develop traditional THE BEGINNING AND DEVELOPMENT friendship and cooperation between two OF THE PEOPLE'S DIPLOMACY AND countries by increasing "cultural" and INITIAL SUCCESS "economic" exchanges and thus ensure "mutual 3 security" . These pro-China forces remained in The initial step of the People's Diplomacy was Japan after the outbreak of the Korean War. to resume and promote Sino-Japanese trade Further, the peace and security treaties split the suspended by the Korean War. In May 1952, Japanese. Although most conservatives the Chinese invited Kora Tomi, Miyakoshi supported the treaties and saw the US Kisuke, and Hoashi Kei –three Japanese pro- protection as the best way for Japan's security, China Diet members who attended Moscow pro-China groups opposed both treaties and International Economic Conference– to visit advocated neutrality to avoid Japan's Beijing and signed with them the first Sino- involvement in military conflicts in Asia. To Japanese non- governmental trade agreement. these neutrality advocates, the peace treaty In 1953, Beijing signed the second trade excluded China, thus unable to provide Japan agreement with a Japanese delegation of the with a safe environment; the security treaty was Dietmen's League for the Promotion of Sino- an unequal treaty binding up Japan with Japanese Trade. These two agreements, in spite America's anti-Communist cold war cause, as it of the opposition of the Yoshida government, allowed US troops to use Japan's bases for resumed the limited Sino-Japanese trade and military operations in the Far East without the even had a semiofficial implication because the consent of the Japanese government and Japanese negotiators were Dietmembers6.As a granted these US troops indefinite rights result, the Sino-Japanese trade quickly including the right to suppress riots and turmoil increased from about $35 million in 1953 to 4 in Japan . $110 million in 1955. Japan's imports from China increased from $30 million to $81 To the Chinese, the existence of Japan's pro- million, while its exports to China increased China neutralist forces was promising. In from $5 million to $29 million7. Besides the coping with America's threat, China could take increasing trade, both sides also held the chance of the split among the Japanese to commodity exhibitions in each other's country strengthen the Japanese pro-China forces. in 1955 and 1956, attracting several million visitors8. As a result, China's Japan policy changed from promoting revolution to seeking With the resumption of the Sino-Japanese trade, accommodation. By encouraging Japan's the People's Diplomacy soon expanded to other independent and neutralist trend, Beijing hoped fields. To assist the return of over 30,000 to put a wedge in the US-Japan alliance and Japanese nationals in China after World War II finally create a safe and peaceful environment to Japan was another measure to win Japan's for China's economic construction. In the friendship. On 1 December 1952, Beijing issued absence of the official relationship, Beijing in an invitation to Japan for negotiations about the spring of 1952 decided to focus on the repatriation on a non-governmental level. The unofficial economic, cultural, and political Yoshida government had to take "positive relations and promote the People's Diplomacy: measures" and entrusted the Japanese Red 68 © Historia Actual Online 2005 Tao Peng Assesing the People’s diplomacy Cross, the JCFA, and the Japanese Peace principles of their Japanese policy. On several Association (JPA) to negotiate with the Chinese occasions since 1953, they expressed China's side. In early 1953, both sides reached willingness to establish a relationship of agreement on repatriation9. The settlement of peaceful coexistence with Japan, conclude a Japanese repatriation led Beijing to successfully non-aggression pact with "an independent, extend its influence on the Japanese. Most democratic, and free Japan," expand bilateral Japanese returnees from China and some firmly economic and cultural exchanges, and "guard anti-Communist Japanese joined pro- China peace in Asia and the world along with forces, calling for improving Japan's relations Japanese people"13. Meanwhile, Beijing did not with China. Many Japanese thus changed their forget to foster Japan's anti-American neutralist attitude toward Communist China and had a sentiment. In meeting the Japanese visitors, good impression of the Chinese10. As a result, Chinese leaders stressed China's firm the repatriation program effectively promoted a opposition to Japan's rearmament under the change of public opinion among the Japanese control of the United States. One editorial in the towards their relationship with China and People's Daily in late 1953 particularly ensured further Sino-Japanese economic and explained the Chinese attitude toward Japan's other non-governmental contacts. neutralism: if neutrality meant to "stop following the aggressive policy of the United Following successful Japanese repatriation, States," the Chinese people would welcome it. non-governmental or semi- governmental The editorial further told the Japanese exchange visits and personal contacts between neutralists how to achieve neutrality: Japan China and Japan became increasingly frequent.