Japan’s Relations With Muslim Asia

269 Pages·2020·3.564 MB·English

by  B. Bryan Barber

Japan’s Relations
with Muslim Asia
B. Bryan Barber
Japan’s Relations with Muslim Asia
B. Bryan Barber
Japan’s Relations with
Muslim Asia
B. Bryan Barber
Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Center
for Muslim World Studies
Miami, FL, USA
ISBN 978-3-030-34279-1 ISBN 978-3-030-34280-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34280-7
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A
cknowledgments
When Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō announced he would visit
Tehran in June 2019 to mediate between the US and Iran, there appeared
to be a collective realization around the world of why this made sense.
Until then, few gave substantial consideration to Tokyo’s positioning
between Washington and Tehran, which it has maintained for decades, or
its vested interest to see the tension eased. Abe’s visit was not a success.
Rather, his visit coincided with mine attacks on two petrochemical tankers
in the Persian Gulf, one of which was Japanese-owned. Washington
blamed Tehran. Tehran denied it. Tokyo refrained from supporting the
Americans’ claim. Tensions only worsened.
Regardless of the outcome of these events, Japan remains in this pre-
carious position of maintaining an alliance with the US, specifically, and
peerage with the West, in general, while also deeply engaged with various
Muslim states in Asia on many levels. This book establishes the foundation
to that collective realization moment in June 2019 leading up to Abe’s
visit. Much is written on Islam and the West, Islam and China, and Islam
and Russia. Much is also written on Japan and the West, Japan and China,
and Japan and Russia. There is a significant gap in the literature, however,
that is Japan, as a great power, and its interactions with the Muslim World.
I wrote this book principally to fill this gap, and demonstrate there is a
fascinating and complex relationship.
It was a privilege to work with the team at Palgrave Macmillan who
showed great enthusiasm for my project and efficiency in each step of the
process. Notably, it was a pleasure to work with International Relations
and Security Studies Executive Editor Anca Pusca and Editorial Assistant
v
vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Katelyn Zingg in New York. My appreciation extends to unnamed readers
from Palgrave Macmillan as well. I also want to thank many scholars and
practitioners in Japan who generously shared their information and per-
spectives which helped sharpen this project along the way. They include
Usuki Akira, Miyata Osamu, Sorimachi Masayuki, Yagi Masanori, Oscar
Gomez, Nukii Mari, and others who I failed to record. The Consulate
General of Japan in Miami was instrumental in providing a network of
connections, including some aforementioned individuals. My gratitude
extends to Steven Heine, Thomas Breslin, and Ronald Cox who kindly
read earlier versions of this book, and provided insightful comments.
I am deeply appreciative to the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Center for
Muslim World Studies at Florida International University, whose generous
financial support not only made possible my research trips, but also facili-
tated gatherings of scholars eager to broaden dialogue on Islam and global
affairs. Through the Jaffer Center, I was provided terrific opportunities to
present this work and discuss it with scholars of Islam who had insightful
perspectives and showed a keen interest. This book bears the mark of
hours of fascinating exchanges with the Director of the Jaffer Center,
Mohiaddin Mesbahi. He mentored and encouraged this project from the
very beginning, throughout its various incarnations, and I am deeply
indebted to him. He is the scholar and mentor who I continuously try
to emulate.
Lastly, this book would not have been possible without the steadfast
support of my family. I was fortunate to be born into a family where hard
work, pursuit of personal interests, and great ambition were the highest
values. Then, I married into one, as well. My mother, Kristi Bode, is not
only an eagle-eyed proofreader, but also an endless source of tenacity. My
wife, Eriko Barber, epitomizes patience, and had to deal with me away
from home quite often. To Eriko, I fear my research appeared as some
strange obsession over her country’s interactions with Islam, but she
always provided patience and support. My son, Will Barber, also had to
endure while I sought to fill this crucial gap in literature. I am pleased to
see my pursuits have not turned him off to studying maps and learning
about the world.
Despite the copious amounts of consideration and feedback I have
received, any errors or shortcomings in this book are, of course, mine, and
mine alone.
October 2019
n n
ote on Ames
This book uses Asian nomenclature, whereby the surname is placed before
the given name for Japanese and Chinese names, which is the increasing
stylistic practice in American media, follows the recommendation of the
Chicago Manual of Style, and was explicitly stated in a request by Japan’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs in May 2019. Authors and editors with East
Asian names are listed in the bibliography in this format without a comma
between. Japanese names always include macrons on long vowels, unless
an author did not use macrons for the author’s own name in an English-
language work. The Hepburn system is used for Romanizing Japanese
names and words.
vii
c
ontents
1 B ridging Two Asias 1
2 Discovery and Identity 25
3 Access to Energy 53
4 Access to Markets 81
5 Development and Aid 119
6 Democratization and Human Rights 149
7 Sanctions and Interventions 185
8 Conclusions 221
Index 239
ix
A
bbreviAtions
BRI Belt Road Initiative
CPTPP Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific
Partnership (replaced TPP after US exit in 2017)
DAC Development Assistance Committee
DPJ Democratic Party of Japan (1998–2016)
FDI foreign direct investment
FGT Flying Geese Theory
JCPOA Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the Iran nuclear deal)
JETRO Japan External Trade Organization
JIIA Japan Institute of International Affairs
LDP Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
LNG liquified natural gas
MITI Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Japan) (reformed into
METI in 2001)
MOFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
ODA official development assistance
P5+1 UN Security Council’s five permanent members plus Germany
R&D research and development
SDF Self-Defense Forces (Japan)
TPP Trans-Pacific Partnership
xi
l f
ist of igures
Fig. 2.1 Reactionary relations between Islam and Japan 29
Fig. 4.1 Flying geese theory model: transition of dominant economy
sector 87
Fig. 4.2 Flying geese theory model: transition of state competitiveness in
individual sector 87
Fig. 6.1 Abe’s framing of “Asian Values,” at shared values and
democracy in Asia symposium, Tokyo, January 2016 151
Fig. 8.1 Evidence of values-based diplomacy and level of
democratization 223
xiii