New waves! China Japan bruised with territorial confrontations

Ritual Training for Japan Coast Guards

No, this time it's not about US Japan Korea China military naval war-games in the China southern seas, whaling or oil and gas research, this time it is about the recurrent territorial disputes that Easterners have been unable to resolve in decades.

Japan Coast Guard (under civilian control) just arrested Zhan Qixiong the captain of a Chinese ship yesterday for allegedly colliding his boat with their patrol boats in the East China Sea. All of this happens while Japan and China are negotiating on economy and trade files, the Korean peninsula. The captain is a 41-year-old Chinese national and he was held on "suspicion of obstructing public duties" after his boat clashed with Japanese CG in the highly disputed territory north-east of Taiwan. Islands known as Senkaku in Japan, Diaoyu in China and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan... Problem. These islands are claimed together, especially with the oil-rich surrounding area, by all three countries.

One can always talk about Free Trade area while nobody here is able to fix the territorial situation. A several decades old crisis.

No one was injured in the incident... But Tokyo and Beijing both registered formal complaints with each other's ambassadors, news reports said. Then, since the arrest of the Chinese fishing boat captain, diplomatic tensions between China and Japan escalated yesterday. Why? Beijing called in Japan's ambassador for a second time after the (minor) boat collision.

China PR boss said that Japanese Ambassador Uichiro Niwa was summoned to see Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue, who demanded that the Chinese vessel be released immediately. The crew, who do not have passports, are waiting on the boat. Then, ambassador Niwa was re-summoned a 2nd time. In Tokyo, Japanese officials repeated their territorial claims over the islands, adding that they had no immediate plans to release the captain or the boat.

Japan has also lodged a protest over the incident to the Chinese side and for Chief cabinet secretary Sengoku, its business as usual: "Procedures were carried out in an orderly manner. The matter was handled according to domestic Japanese law because Japan's position has always been that no territorial issue exists over the Senkaku Islands."

Cool...

The Chinese media naturally strongly criticized. The Global Times carried a report that said, "The collision was a Japanese conspiracy. The objective is to heighten the risk for Chinese fishing boats trying to enter the waters of the Diaoyutai." The owner of the trawler involved in the incident told a local newspaper: "We often fish near those islands and are often chased away by Japanese patrol vessels. We have had many run-ins and there was one such incident in August." Zhan was described as a "very experienced" captain, the Asahi shimbun writes today http://bit.ly/a2oc4Q

So why should he collide with Japan Coast Guards boats...?

Most Desired Tropical islands calling blue water navies to flex muscles

The "Senkaku in Japan, Diaoyu in China and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan" waters alleged collision happened, Japan said, in Japanese territorial waters off the northwestern coast of Japan's Kuba island, just north of uninhabited, disputed islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. The islands, about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of Taiwan, are controlled by Japan but are also claimed by China and Taiwan.

One cannot imagine that November APEC forum is to be set this year in Japan. An other reason to understand that this APEC forum is nothing else than a gathering of procrastinated bureaucracies. As ex presidential adviser, strategist, and author Jacques Attali wrote in his latest books, "Tous ruinés dans dix ans ?" "Vivre en crise" or "Le Sens des choses" from G20 to UN, APEC, none of these formula work and people don't count. Time to reinvent our leaders. (French Radio "L'Ete en pente douce" August 2010)

Ichiro Ozawa

In the meantime, foreign affairs happen to be invited in the current election. Election campaign seen as the most boring ever critics say, one of them is in the English version today page 13 of the world biggest newspaper Yomiuri shimbun with Akitoshi Muraoka. Worth reading.

Finally China and Korea relations with Japan appeared on the course of the election for the next ruling party top-boss and future prime minister. Japan's politician and king makers for 2 decades Ichiro Ozawa, who is seeking to become the prime minister next week against his fellow party member Naoto Kan, made this breakthrough statement that he would never visit Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni war shrine which keeps "souls" of some of World War II war criminals condemned to the death penalty by the Tokyo tribunal.

Ichiro Ozawa runs as the leader of the governing DPJ (Minshuto) against current DPJ president and prime minister Naoto Kan, and for him such war criminal souls should not be honoured at the site, which enshrines the souls of 2.5 million dead, including critical 14 leading war criminals which remind to all that this Shintoist sanctuary is seen as a symbol of Japan's past aggressions. "Class-A war criminals ended up like that because of their political responsibility"Ozawa said. The top war criminals from World War II were secretly enshrined in the 1970s, including General Hideki Tojo, the prime minister who ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor and was hanged for war crimes by a US-led tribunal.

DPJ Campaigning...

Counter acting to Japanese revisionists, Ozawa promotes ties with Japan's East Asian neighbors and last December took more than 140 young DPJ lawmakers on a visit to Beijing, where they were greeted by President Hu Jintao. As a pointer of future political courses, Ozawa also agreed with plans to give Asian long term resident foreigners the right to vote in local elections. For Ozawa: "South Korea has introduced local election voting rights, while Europe is on course to approve it. Such an idea follows a global trend."

The idea is to grant local and regional but not national suffrage to almost one million permanent residents of ethnic Korean, Chinese and other foreign backgrounds, both those who were born overseas and their descendants living in Japan after colonization and invasion of Korea and China by Japan Imperial Armies last century.

Insecurity

The day when history is studied and collectively formated into a fundamental treaty, such as the Treaty of Rome cemented Europe foundations, maybe the East Asian nations will get rid of their decades old psychological insecurity. Energy and natural resources potential key-marks?

Sources: Internets, Agencies, Twitter, Wiki, Reporter's Notes

✍✍✍ Ozawa? he gotta GTL (GTL = Gym, tan, laundry). It has to be done everyday to achieve maximum potential...

North Korea Kim Jong-un: Real picture or... a fake?

Is this man on the left, with a red tie, Kim Jong-un the son of North Korea regime leader Kim Jong-il? Or is he a simple manager engineer of the "Kim Chaek Industrial Complex" accompanying the leader Kin Jong-il on past visits? Chosen because of a resemblance with Kim Il-sun?

The image is spread all over the world by news agencies and thanks to the Internet, including on newspapers and military analysis sites such as http://bit.ly/Uando

If he is not the KJI offspring, then this photo would be a forgery, a fake image that was published without official confirmation by news agencies, photo news agencies and newspapers.

What also circulates on the Internet is a picture of a child, presented as Kim Jon-un, "while in school abroad" years ago.

The Kim Chaek Complex is named in relation to a Korea War General, it is the largest steel producer in the DPRK. A pipeline supplies iron ore from the Musan Mine located in Musan County, in the North Hamgyong Province.

Besides, sources in Pyongyang have reported news of a decree instructing provincial Party delegates to assemble in Pyongyang by the September 9th for the Chosun Workers’ Party Delegates’ Conference. As Asian Gazette published yesterday.

The Delegates’ Conference is reported to be held in the Pyongyang "April 25th People’s Army House of Culture". All together 5.000 delegates and audience.

In the interim, the French doctors led by Professor Roux of Paris Sainte Anne hospital who examined Kim Jong-il in North Korea last month http://bit.ly/c2mDMG are still unheard of, although energetically searched by media (who are not in a hurry though to publish any interview) as he is looked for by reporters and governments ' agencies.

No wonder.

Pyongyang capital of Willows

This is a picture distributed by China's Xinhua News Agency, Pyongyang where we see citizens heading back home after attending a celebration ceremony rehearsal for the upcoming Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea. This pic was made on Sunday.

Security is tight and hotels are "full", here is the specific decades old project Ryugyong hotel, still under renovation...

Sources: Reporter's notes

Freelance Reporter Tsuneoka hostage of Afghan kidnappers back home at last!

Kosuke Tsuneoka arrives at Osaka International Airport after 5 months captive in Afghanistan. After long request and research from authorities, services and fellow media associations, he is free.

"I feel relieved. I thought I would definitely be killed for the first two months." His captors had been asking for a ransom to Japan, and it is possible that he was released because terms were agreed. Released Saturday after going missing in Afghanistan in late March, Kosuke Tsuneoka returned home. Following his return, Tsuneoka told that he had felt anger at his kidnappers as they abducted him for money, even though he is a Muslim.

Tsuneoka was blindfolded and kidnapped by two armed military people on April 1 when he was walking with a Taliban member in Kunduz. During his captivity, he said he was locked in a residential house or moved from one battlefield to another. He was never physically assaulted but had seen a bloodied civilian brought into the same house one time during his captivity.

"The civilian, with both his hands and feet tied, was brought into the same house I was locked in. He must have been executed later," Tsuneoka said. "At that moment I realized that the kidnappers kill civilians easily. I became aware that I would be next." "I didn't understand how dangerous non-Taliban groups were. That was my complete mistake," Tsuneoka said. "I will make public what I have seen."

In messages posted in blogs in Japanese, Tsuneoka said the factions in Kunduz and Takhar provinces who kidnapped him pretended to be Taliban and "tried to extort" the Japanese government. He said Afghan authorities were unable to publicize the fact as the group's commander is very close to the Afghan government. He also said in separate messages posted early Monday that he thought during his more than five months in captivity that he would be killed to ensure his silence once the group had stopped trying to get money from the Japanese government.

In June, Afghan security officials said Taliban militants had demanded the Afghan government pay a ransom for Tsuneoka and that negotiations were under way to pay several hundred thousand dollars in return for his release.

The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency said Sunday a Taliban commander in Kunduz has claimed responsibility for holding the journalist, citing an interview with the commander. The Japanese Embassy in Kabul, however, said the kidnappers' affiliation is still not clear. Afghan Islamic Press reported Sunday that Tsuneoka was released in the Dasht-e-Archi district of Kunduz and quoted the Kunduz commander as saying, "We treated him very well. He would vouch for this." AIP said the Japanese journalist was released because he is a Muslim and that his captors wanted him to celebrate Eid, the Islamic festival at the end of Ramadan, with his family.

Tsuneoka, who formerly worked for Nagasaki Broadcasting Co., has been covering war-related stories as a freelance journalist, traveling to war zones in Afghanistan, Ethiopia and elsewhere. According to Tsuneoka's personal website, he is interested in reporting "war stories from the standpoint of people who are vulnerable in war."

France 3 has 2 TV reporters hostages: Herve Ghesquiere and Stephane Taponier who worked for the show "Pieces a conviction" of French state television France-3, were kidnapped with their Afghan guides on Dec. 29 in Kapisa province, northeast of Capital Kabul, in Afghanistan. The general secretary of the Elysee, Claude Gueant, said Sunday on French radio that the two French state television journalists kidnapped in Afghanistan were "in good health."

North Korea parades prior to Party Congress Opening Session

On September 9, 1948, North Korea established the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.) headed by then-Premier Kim Il-sung...

The North Korean Workers Party leadership is to delay the opening of an extraordinary congress to later this week. It will be the first extraordinary party congress in 44 years. Thursday 9th or Friday 10th appear as the latest dates selected.

Kim Jung-un, Kim Jong-il’s youngest son, oversees all the preparations for the meeting, including personnel affairs, gifts for delegates and accommodation as well as the selection of actors, commercials, finances and so on. "Jang Sung-tek, senior official of the National Defense Committee and the head of administration, assists Kim Jung-eun only in security affairs." (North Korean Sources)

The party is expected to elect members of the Central Committee first, and then a plenary session of the Central Committee will elect members of the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Central Military Committee, the source said. The source speculated that Kim Jon-un will be elected to the Central Committee and then given a key post such as a member of the Presidium of the Politburo or party secretary, provided he makes an appearance at all. The source added, "It may be possible for the North to hold a plenary session of the party Central Committee separately later," so Kim Jong-un's election to a key post could be delayed.

(Sources Xinhua)

Party conferences have been held only twice before: in 1958 and 1966. In 1958, the country’s economic development plans and a restructuring of the party system were discussed. In 1966, the party’s top position had its name changed to “general secretary".

Children contribution to the Party Congress

Like in former sessions, North Koreans' schoolchildren have been marching Pyongyang streets last days chanting a song believed to hail North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's third son and heir apparent Jong-un.

Almost every morning and evening, several groups of junior high school students in uniforms march on streets near Pyongyang Station singing the song, known as "Footsteps," to promote the upcoming event and the 65th anniversary of the founding of the party on Oct 10. They also sing a song for North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and one for Kim Jong-il. Similar scenes were witnessed last year when the country staged a 150-day campaign and a 100-day campaign to rebuild the economy. (Sources Kyodo)

Restart the 6 part talks on the agenda?

Also the United States "has begun weighing a fresh effort at engagement with Mr. Kim’s government, officials and analysts say." (Quotes New York Times August 27th).

Sources: Reporter's Notes

Ozawa vs Kan: Definition of a Virtual Duel

The lightness of Ozawa and Kan's debate

The "look-only-within our own circle" campaign for election of the next president of the Democratic Party of Japan officially started Wednesday September 1st, with Prime Minister Naoto Kan and former DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa running while the general climate is marked by a great anxiety and despair of the public opinion.

In spite of TV's street surveys, showing citizens untouched by sweating candidates in the late summer inferno, people's non-commitment rises high and appears as severe contrast to the hysterical behavior of the media which cultivate passions and mysteries. In my view, public apathy is growing and watchers are appalled by the lack of coherent political program of both candidates to the job of Prime Minister.

Election is on September 14th. Both candidates who each of them represent the old Japan, conservatives versus pale reformists, still have to explain how they would fix Japan's problems in a language that could be understood and trusted by ordinary people.

Announcement of a regrettable failure

Whoever gains the top chair, Ozawa will be remembered as the bulldozer of Japanese politics feared in Tokyo but not appreciated in the countryside, while Kan is seen as the hostage of bureaucracy (especially the Ministry of Finance) and corporations practices that he pretended to crush in the first place after he denied the 2009 Manifesto that brought his party to power. "Raison d'être" of the ex Shadow Shogun's anger who finally got his gun out.

Ozawa's disappointment towards Mr. Kan is not stranger to the fact that Mr. Ozawa's team wrote the Manifesto and offered the victory in an historic election last year after 50 years of LDP rule. Consequence: the DPJ might very well be divided in the end, and loose strength for action plan.

"Lock the Parliament members in a TV studio and let's work on concrete", this comment from a keen Japan watcher (not a bureaucrat!) caught my smile while trying to analyze the chances of each of the candidates. Who ever wins, the bottom-line is that a majority of the people will continue to keep distance from Nagatacho' s hill drama making machinery, while the "new virtualists" are to vote according to the media's power games with the usual "Dentsu type campaign" emotional touch, persuaded that their worlds and spaces are immune to corporate and state control.

This is where the irony is. Japanese politicians succeeded in having the sublime confidence of the media but not of the Japanese electorate who does not ask for growth -- Japan is not a developing economy-- but simply requests from their nation leaders to guarantee the sustainability of their standard of living and not to shift their life according to the "exchange value" paradigm.

Ozawa (L) Kan (R)

Better offer the quill to the concerned people with a few quotes of the Asahi Shimbun which I found had the best commentary in today's press after Nihon Kisha club's debate I followed with other foreign correspondents and diplomats yesterday both in Japanese and English at the Foreign Press Center.

Quotes of Asahi' s Shinichi Sano's commentary:

"Ozawa has a talent for presenting himself as larger than life, and that may be the extent of his political prowess. The media are also guilty of overrating him and creating a divisive paradigm that pitted Ozawa supporters against Ozawa haters. One was either pro-Ozawa or anti-Ozawa.

...

In terms of background, Kan is a completely different breed of politician from Hatoyama and Ozawa. But having been thrown into a "playhouse" founded by these two former LDP politicians, Kan found himself obliged to act in manners reminiscent of LDP politics. In short, Kan, too, has become trapped in the old paradigm of pro-Ozawa versus anti-Ozawa.

...

The current DPJ is not even functioning as a political party. For the DPJ to become functional, it is actually a blessing that Kan and Ozawa are fighting it out in the presidential election.

...

The LDP, for its part, must be insane not to seize this huge opportunity to take the offensive. Yet LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki has done nothing with this one-in-a-million chance at hand.

...

Now, the public remains cool toward the DPJ presidential election, in sharp contrast to the overheated coverage by the media. So far, the election has exposed not only the "lightness" of Ozawa, Kan and Hatoyama, but also the immaturity of the media that have failed to correctly understand the sentiments of the public." End of quotes.

Sources: Agencies, Asahi http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201009020394.html,

Mainichi, Yomiuri, Nikkei, Reporter's notes.

Arrivé du Premier Airbus A380 d'Air France à Tokyo!

Pour la première fois, Air France a mis en ligne le mercredi 1er septembre 2010, l’Airbus A380 entre Paris et Tokyo, devenant ainsi, la première destination en Asie du très gros porteur de la compagnie.

L'avion est parti de Paris mercredi en début d'après-midi et s'est posé sans problème à Tokyo jeudi à 07H49 mercredi, 22H49 en TU. Il transportait 363 personnes pour une configuration de 538 sièges (dont 9 en première classe et 80 en classe affaires). Cet A380 devait repartir à la mi-journée pour Paris.

Paris-Tokyo est la 3ème liaison qu’Air France assure en A380, après Paris-New York lancée en 2009 et Paris-Johannesburg en février 2010.

Le pont principal de l’A380 représente l’équivalent d’un Boeing 777-200 et le pont supérieur, celui d’un Airbus A340-300.

L’A380 d’Air France est équipé de 538 sièges, répartis en trois classes: La Première, 9 sièges au pont principal, Affaires, 80 au pont supérieur, et Voyageur, 449 répartis entre les deux ponts.

Air France rappelle que l’A380 est l’avion le plus respectueux de l’environnement avec moins de 75 grammes de CO2 produit par passager au kilomètre, il est aussi le plus silencieux de sa catégorie.

Sa large cabine offre aux passagers plus de confort et d’espace. A bord de cet avion, des ambiances lumineuses adaptées aux différentes étapes du voyage, des espaces de convivialité et de détente ou encore un système de divertissement entièrement nouveau avec des écrans plus large.

Air France a commandé 12 exemplaires de l’A380 dont quatre lui ont été livrés. A l’hiver 2010, Air France et KLM proposeront 52 vols hebdomadaires aller-retour entre Paris, Amsterdam et le Japon :

Les horaires des vols de l’A380 entre Paris et Tokyo

- Paris-Tokyo : AF 276, mercredi, vendredi, dimanche ; quotidien à compter du 4 octobre 2010. Départ 13 h 30 terminal 2E, arrivée à 08 h 10 le lendemain

- Tokyo-Paris : AF 275, lundi, jeudi, samedi ; quotidien à compter du 5 octobre 2010. Départ 11 h 50, arrivée à Paris à 17 h 15 terminal 2E

Vers Tokyo-Narita : 31 vols, dont 21 vols AF (dont 7 vols opérés par JAL en partage de code) et 10 vols KLM ;

Vers Tokyo-Haneda : 7 vols AF opérés par JAL en partage de code, partir du 31 octobre 2010 ;

Vers Osaka-Kansai : 14 vols, dont 7 vols AF et 7 vols KLM.

Sources: Air France, Reporter's notes

Why did Kim Jong-il meet President Hu Jintao and Vice President Xi Jinping in Changchun, China?

Changchun sanitized by impressive police forces dispatch

The alleged meeting took place in a hotel in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, and Hu Jintao flew to greet Kim. In addition to President Hu, the Vice President Xi Jinping, announced to take over as China's next leader in 2012, also went to Jilin, which borders North Korea, to meet Kim. No one outside the tight circles of insiders in Beijing and Pyongyang really knows. Perhaps something extraordinary occurred in the North. Or perhaps to Kim Jong il. Did he go under a new comprehensive medical checkup and surgery in Jilin province known for its numerous hospitals and medical universities, following the August 2nd to 14th visit by two French doctors in North Korea on their 3rd medical diagnostic since Kim's stroke in 2008? It remained unconfirmed whether Kim's son, Kim Jong-un accompanied his father on the surprise visit which is the leader's second trip to the ally nation in three months.

French quotes:

"Deux médecins français ont passé deux semaines en Corée du Nord entre les 2 et 14 août à la résidence de Seoho, dans une ville portuaire de Hamheung, situé au nord-est de la péninsule coréenne, pour examiner la santé du leader nord-coréen, Kim Jong-il, a rapporté aujourd’hui la radio sud-coréenne spécialisée sur la Corée du Nord NK Radio."

Kim Jong-il and Hu Jintao

"Chinese President Hu Jintao, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), held talks with Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission in Changchun, capital city of northeast China's Jilin Province."

The economy and reform of North Korea was in the center of discussions between the two leaders :"Hu emphasized that it is a basic experience of China's reform and opening up drive in the past more than three decades to unswervingly adhere to the central task of economic development, push forward all causes of socialist modernization in an all-round way and continuously secure and improve the livelihood of the people."

Reference: Reporter's Notes, Arirang, and AG

http://bit.ly/c2mDMG

http://www.fmprc.gov.cn

Le MANGA: Nouvelle Arme de Propagande Politique au Japon

Quand la diplomatie américaine est fourbue, épuisée, dégoûtée, un recours au Japon: le Manga!

USA-kun*

"Quand bien même le Japon doit sa liberté d'agir dans le camp occidental grâce aux forces armées américaines implantées depuis plus de 60 ans sur l'archipel devenu un porte avion des Etats-Unis en Asie, les insulaires sont facilement tentés par les démons de la critique".

Mon interlocuteur tente de rester mesuré et prudent pendant l'interview. Comme beaucoup de japonais qui travaillent sur Okinawa, il pèse ses mots aussitôt que l'on parle des forces armées US expédiées au Japon, mais contrairement aux années 80 ou 90, lui comme d'autres ne cachent pas leur ressentiment face aux militaires américains qui, dit-il, se servent du Japon comme d'un terrain de jeu.

"Ils ne parlent pas notre langue, restent cantonnés dans leurs bases, et quand ils en sortent, ils explosent, alors j'ai envoyé mes filles au collège sur Kyushu, la grande fait une université de Tokyo, j'avais peur de la voir massacrée comme après le viol de la gosse en 1995."

Les japonais sont devenus aujourd'hui très avares en formules de remerciements (Les célébrations de Hiroshima ne sont pas loin) vis à vis de ceux qu'ils considèrent comme des envahisseurs encombrants et violents, des "fauteurs de troubles" alors que le contexte des relations entre les pays voisins s'est apaisé, avec Chine et Russie, et d'autant que les échanges économiques et touristiques font flores entre ces rives boostés par la croissance insolente de l'océan Pacifique et des mers de Chine. Les touristes et leurs charters remplacent les uniformes et les armes avec des caméras, du Yuan et du Yen.

Sauf pour une batterie de Tartarins de Tarascon locaux qui activent à tue-tête leurs intenses machines de guerres et leur lobby industriel du même type, car tous les voisins ne sont pas aussi calmes me dit-on dans un cabinet ministériel. Mention: la Corée du Nord qui arrange plus d'un stratège.

Manifestations anti-bases

Rejet

Fait établi, l'armée américaine est rejetée en masse depuis des décennies par l'opinion publique en raison d'agressions criminelles à répétition commises par les "Marines" sur l'île méridionale japonaise de Okinawa (assassinats, viols, vols hantent les îles du sud du Japon).

Un récent épisode dramatique http://bit.ly/dgsQPm Il s'ajoute aux affaires semblables http://bit.ly/bgJ430 http://bit.ly/9mOjLP http://bit.ly/a2A6bC qui ont créés un fort ras-le-bol des Japonais à l'encontre des militaires américains.

Manga, Arme Suprême

Les opérateurs des départements de propagande ont donc tenté, avec l'aide des médias japonais, de séduire le public de l'archipel cet Eté avec une nouvelle opération de sensibilisation sous la forme d'un MANGA intitulé: "Notre Alliance, un partenariat durable!" http://www.usfj.mil/manga/

Dans la première édition, un petit lapin bien coquin aux grandes oreilles nommé Usa-kun recommande à un cafard d'enseigner à son ami japonais Arai Anzu quels sont les avantages d'avoir 35.500 et quelques militaires stationnés dans votre jardin japonais...

Les japonais avaient fait pareil il y a déja plusieurs années sur le mode "engagez vous - rengagez vous". Le MOD (ministère japonais de la défense) distribue fréquemment des petits cadeaux résultant du merchandising "kawaii-cool" aux journalistes "embedded."

Kokousai Dori, Okinawa

"Difficile de justifier une occupation militaire déguisée en assistance militaire" me disent quelques habitants de la capitale de Naha, Okinawa sur Kokousai Dori. Le quartier chaud, enfait restaurants, bars, magasins et disco bien calmes, ne vit plus aujourd'hui du commerce des bases mais bien des cars de touristes qui remplacent les "Boys": "Ils ne sortent même plus de leur base sauf quand ils sont saouls" " "Notre seul recours économique ce sont les touristes de Taiwan et ceux de Tokyo Osaka." En voila une qui ne s'embarrasse pas de complications géopolitiques!

On n'est pas certain que Usa-kun puisse logiquement expliquer pourquoi la présence des militaires américains doit être pris avec compréhension par une opinion publique très "remontée".

Cette présence militaire américaine au Japon est inscrite noir sur blanc dans le cadre d'une alliance militaire imposée aux lendemains de la défaite japonaise de 1945. Alliance dont les fondamentaux sont aujourd'hui critiqués ou manipulés selon le calendrier politique par bon nombre de politiciens japonais. L'opinion publique hésite à en parler aussi ouvertement et aussi librement que les jeunes générations de japonais assez délurés, enfin... lorsqu'ils s'y intéressent.

Du Manga aux manœuvres politiciennes

Ce débat est en revanche un enjeu dans la bataille politique, que ce soit pour la prochaine élection de l'assemblée électorale de Nago, centre de Okinawa, et pour la conquête du pouvoir national à laquelle se lancent actuellement les 2 grands chefs du PDJ, le parti majoritaire, avec messieurs Naoto Kan et Ichiro Ozawa, lors de la convention de Septembre du parti au pouvoir. Cette convention devra désigner le chef de sa formation, celle-ci majoritaire à la Chambre Basse du parlement, pour le poste de premier ministre.

Les médias japonais et anglo-saxons soutiennent invariablement la candidature de Kan contre Ozawa. L'influence des clubs de presse dans un cas, des alliances de l'autre. Des médias très critiques comme on a pu le lire avec la prise de position du Financial Times contre Ozawa donnant du FT la piètre allure d'un quotidien ayant oublié ses quelques devoirs d'impartialité.

Ozawa est dubitatif sur l'efficacité de la présence américaine, bien plus que l'actuel premier ministre, Naoto Kan. Or ce dernier parvenu au "Kantei" (les bureaux du chef du gouvernement) ne veut pas se fâcher avec l'Oncle Sam quitte à rogner une fois encore sur le programme de son parti et en outre sur ses engagements personnels pacifistes d'antan. Kan est le 5e premier ministre en 4 ans. Le mois prochain, ce sera un 6e premier ministre...

Kan a vu et analysé comment son prédécesseur Hatoyama s'est fait éjecter de son siège après un bras de fer diplomatique entre Tokyo et Washington sur la question ancienne du transfert d'une base aérienne américaine hors du centre de l'île de Okinawa, l'île favorite des touristes et des jeunes japonais. Des jeunes qui passent leurs vacances aussi bien à Séoul qu'à Shanghai et qui ne comprennent pas les motifs de cette présence militaire, de type Guerre Froide d'une autre époque, en tout cas pas de leur époque.

Okinawa, aux habitants abandonnés depuis des lustres par le gouvernement central de Tokyo, et condamnée aux présences militaires, reprend du poil de la bête, l'île redevient un enjeu politique local d'autant que le Japon a révisé sa doctrine en déplaçant le centre de gravité du "risque" qui est azimuté désormais sur les Mers Jaune et de Chine. Okinawa et ses îles sont devenus l'endroit idéal pour amarrer les prochaines escarmouches.

Hélicoptère des JASDF - Forces d'Auto-Défense Japonaises

Dans ce contexte orageux, le Manga "Usa-kun" a-t-il de forte chance de convaincre ou de passer par profits et pertes? L'avenir proche le dira. Il y a 15 ans une firme française du nucléaire avait également recouru aux bandes dessinées pour justifier la non létalité du plutonium, une BD illustrée par un petit personnage surnommé: "PU" qui avalait, glouton, du plutonium "sans le moindre danger", ce qui avait fait sursauter bon nombre d'observateurs!

La Parano de l'invasion et des routes maritimes

Okinawa et ses environs se préparent au pire, le renforcement de son rôle de place forte militaire, malgré l'opposition culturelle et politique des insulaires et de leurs élus. Illustration: c'est dans la région de Okinawa, dans les îles Nansei (ou îles Ryukyu qui s'étendent de l'île japonaise de Kyushu à Taiwan sur plus de 1.000 kilomètres) que les îles vont fourmiller de japonais et d'américains en Décembre prochain, pour un exercice militaire dores et déja controversé avec hélicos, navires de guerre et avions de combat. Ces manœuvres auront lieu dans le cadre d'un exercice de l'US Navy et du Japon, et de ses forces armées maritimes et aériennes (il n'y a plus un mois désormais sans exercice militaire US, Chinois, Japonais, Coréen! La Chine ces-jours-ci).

Un chapelet d'îles

Un exercice visant à simuler ce qui se passerait dans le cas où une nation hostile tenterait de mettre pied sur une des nombreuses îles japonaises! Un D-Day version Orient-Extrême? Il faut bien entraîner les "boys" et faire tourner les usines, payer les soldats...

Imaginons sans la nommer de quelle grande nation asiatique il pourrait s'agir? Celle qui célèbre son 6e Forum ces jours-ci à Tokyo http://bit.ly/aib74m avec les plus hauts dirigeants politiques chinois et japonais sur le thème "L'Avenir de L'Asie, la contribution du Japon et de la Chine"? Est-ce dans ce genre de Forum que les projets d'avenir sont mis en -grande- marche? Ou faut-il au contraire y voir une ironie suprême et méditer le proverbe chinois: "S'allier avec l'éloigné pour mieux attaquer le proche"?

Mais dans ce carrefour des océans guère pacifiques transformés en labyrinthe politique, diplomatique et militaire, qui est le proche, qui est l'éloigné... aujourd'hui?

En reportage avec les JASDF - Okinawa

* Le suffixe "kun" en japonais, place après le nom de famille, est utilisé pour parler à un garçon plus jeune ou du même âge que nous-même, jamais utilisé entre deux femmes, et pas le signe d’une grande affection. Un ton emprunt de condescendance.

Sources: Reporter's Notes, JSDF, Okinawa City Information, Usfj Mil, Xinhuanet, Kyodo, UPI.