Another consideration was the concern about having a difficult and isolated China which Japan has tried to engage in discussion and to influence, in order to see China observe internationally agreed norms and codes of conduct. In this context, Japan was worried about a worst case scenario―namely a US-Chinese confrontation. This view was strengthened by the bombing incident of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. The deterioration of US-China relations did not last long. The third anxiety was having to deal with an enhanced partnership between China and Russia. When the discussion of NATO enlargement started, the view of a possible Russo-Chinese entente was shared by a number of Japanese experts.
Lastly, when the US conducted a considerably large scale campaign, Japanese defense experts were concerned about US military engagements in Asia: Did the US have enough missiles and forces to be deployed rapidly to the Korean Peninsula, if necessary? The US strategy is based on fighting two regional wars. During the Kosovo crisis, the US had two fronts: Serbia and Iraq. The military campaign against Serbia was so extraordinary in that it used US air power that the Japanese experts thought that if there had been any military contingency in the Korean Peninsula, the US would have had no forces left to send to Asia. The Europeans had the same worry. A European defense expert told me that during the Balkan crisis, if something had happened in the Korean Peninsula, the US would have withdrawn their forces in Europe, and send them to Asia. Then, the Europeans would have been obliged to conduct crisis management on their own. I myself suppose that the ESDI and the ESDP has its own impetus and not has close relations of the US engagement in Asia. However, the European expert explained to me that this is one of the reasons for developing European defense capabilities.
4. Japan, the Reconstruction of Kosovo, and after
In his statement at the OSCE Istanbul Summit in November 1999, the Representative of the Government of Japan, Ambassador Arima said, "Japan, as a partner for cooperation of the OSCE, has the political will and capacity to provide active support to European peace and stability. We would like to further deepen our co-operative relationships with the members of the OSCE because, with the ever-increasing global interdependence, the security issue in Europe has direct bearings on the security of Asia and the Pacific region."16
In terms of humanitarian assistance and support of the reconstruction in Kosovo, Japan has dispersed US $178.04 million. Japan has sent personnel to the UNMIK as well as to the OSCE Kosovo Mission. Japan pledged US $60 million to Machedonia and Albania. Besides that, Japan has been one of the major donors of economic assistance to the Balkan countries.
In October 19, 2000, the Japanese government announced that it will contribute up to $10 million to Yugoslavia in view of its internal political evolution. The Japanese government is to lift sanctions against Yugoslavia which will be a concerted action with the West.
Since Kosovo, the international community has attached much more importance to conflict prevention, which is one of the major agendas of the G7/8 as well as the Japan-EU cooperation.
The G8 launched the "G8 Miyazaki Initiatives for Conflict Prevention" in July 2000 under the Japanese presidency. On July 19, Japan and the EU issued the Joint Conclusions of the Japan-EU summit meeting in Tokyo.
