Ex-Pentagon official warns of Japan's decline

Friday 06th February, 08:43 AM JST

WASHINGTON —

A former senior Defense Department official warned Thursday that Japan must take action to arrest the decline in its regional and international standing. ‘‘The erosion of Japan’s international, regional position has begun,’’ said Richard Lawless, deputy undersecretary of defense for Asia and Pacific security affairs. ‘‘If this marginalization process of Japan is not addressed openly and proactively, the relative decline will accelerate,’’ he said, adding that
‘‘Few in Japan share my concern.’’

Lawless said in a speech that Japan’s decline is partly attributable to the ongoing global financial crisis, which has forced many leading Japanese companies to expect to fall into the red. As well, he pointed out inaction on the part of Japanese policymakers in relation to a plethora of challenges, as exemplified by the recent response to piracy off the coast of Somalia.

It took China ‘‘about 10 seconds’’ to decide to participate in an antipiracy mission there, but Japan spent a tremendous amount of time before deciding this week to send two destroyers on a similar mission, Lawless said.

‘‘It’s not bad, but sad,’’ he said.

A former CIA official, Lawless played a major role in talks with Japan and South Korea over the realignment of U.S. forces and military bases in the two U.S. allies in Asia. He was also active in promoting military exchanges between the United States and China.

He expressed hope a new Japanese government to be launched after the next general election, which must be held by September, will ‘‘get serious’’ about Japan’s decline and take steps to counter it.

‘‘That new government, I think, must take a long, hard look at Japan and the region and the world, and make its own decisions about what it’s going to do,’’ he said.

‘‘If Japan wants to be where it needs to be, it needs to act like it’s in the game,’’ Lawless said. ‘‘It’s not a spectator.’’

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Latest 15 of 51 Total Comments Show All

sharky1 at 01:59 PM JST - 6th February

Too many meetings in Japan. All these meetings cripple any decision making capability of government or corporations. Japan is in a downward spiral financially and culturally. No 1 in layoffs in 2009, No 1 in suicide rate, No 1 in basing it's economy on a few big businesses. Better brush up on my Chinese.
pointofview at 02:13 PM JST - 6th February

Empires rise and Empires fall.the history of mankind. America`s day is also coning to an end, along with Japan

The only thing that might fall the American empire is the "Doomsday Comet." And something tells me that that wont even do it...Despite flawed leadership and policies, I think the American government this time around or perhaps from this point in time onward, will take appropriate measures at trying to bring more stability globally. I hope anyway. We have two other choices that could lead globally, Russia and China. How do you feel about them as global managers? Japan on the otherhand has a bunch of children running their country and are not responsible whatsoever. Issues are never settled and the people are treated like cattle ex. How long has this 12000 yen crap been debated? Japan is far from being a global leader if they continue going about their business the way they have been. You would think that such Nationalists would be more concerned about their nation. Theres potential but it seems to be stuck in mud.
apecNetworks at 02:35 PM JST - 6th February

A former senior Defense Department official warned Thursday that Japan must take action to arrest the decline in its regional and international standing. ‘‘The erosion of Japan’s international, regional position has begun,’’ said Richard Lawless, deputy undersecretary of defense for Asia and Pacific security affairs. ‘‘If this marginalization process of Japan is not addressed openly and proactively, the relative decline will accelerate,’’ he said, adding that‘‘Few in Japan share my concern.’’

Richard Lawless, deputy undersecretary of defense for Asia and Pacific security affairs better wake up. He has the security clearance, so he should take a second look at what the Clinton Administration did to the Japanese economy and the PRC economy. By priming and strengthening the PRC economy, indirectly contributed to a resurgent Russian Federation economy - all this has come to pass. I warned them when they were implementing the scheme, but they LAUGHED in my face. It wasn't good for the US, but strengthened my hand in APEC. Japan was economically/technologically awesome in the late 1990's, so something was done. Now, Japan does understand what has developed, and would prefer to go with the flow that was created by US Foreign Policy. I have helped Japan in APEC, and I believe Japan can be a "player" in the region economically/technologically. It is the US that will have to address what they have created in geopolitics.
space_monkey at 05:06 PM JST - 6th February

Samuraiiki "Just like Japanese say: Kuki Yomenai"

I thought KY meant Kanji Yumenia!!

Thanks for enlightening me.
Potsu at 07:16 PM JST - 6th February

techall....good point.
grafton at 10:42 PM JST - 6th February

From the above I get the very strong impression this fool is unemployed, so why is anybody taking any notice? Is he job hurting? Just look at the fantastic mess that America has made over the last 8 years & yet we still have people like this that feel they are smart enough to say how some other country should be run!

Really it doesn’t matter what anybody outside of Japan says, it is none of their business. Could you imagine the fire storm here if an unemployed Japanese politico said some thing of this kind about the US?
cwhite at 01:10 AM JST - 7th February

how I long for the day Japan becomes the first neutral country of Asia
NeoJamal at 02:02 AM JST - 7th February

It took China ‘‘about 10 seconds’’ to decide to participate in an antipiracy mission there

10 seconds. Other speed facts Lawless knows about Chinese bureacracy may shock you, like the average time taken by the Chinese Premier to take a dump in the morning which is accurate to the mili-second. Yes it's true that Chinese make most political decisions faster than the Japanese. Some say this is because Japan adheres to an archaic bureacratic red-tape that is known widely around the world by the name of 'democracy'. No one seems to have found a solution to that problem for now.

When Japan was send a JMSDF vessel in support of the gulf war, Singapore refused entry for re-supply and crew rest, that's how serious they still take Japanese militarism.

Well, for a country where its voters had allowed Lee Kuan Yew and PAP to take 98% of the seats in Parliament for every general election despite doing so with significantly less proportion of supporting votes cast, and believe that chewing gum and dorian consumption in public will break up the fabric society, such delusion about the resurgence of J-militarism is not surprising. Their own irrationality is propounded by the fact that they take this position despite Singapore supporting the liberation of Kuwait and Japan (oh wow! so unexpected lah!) joining the Allied side of the conflict. (drops mic)
gogogo at 02:31 AM JST - 7th February

What a moron this guy is, just because you think about something doesn't make you on the decline.
herefornow at 06:27 AM JST - 7th February

gogogo -- please re--read the article, and my earlier post. As the article clearly states Lawless made several other points about Japan's decline. The piracy thing was just one example. But, I'd like to know just how long does Japan need to "think about something" -- like its crumbling pension system, horrendous debt load, aging population, etc. -- before it does something?
temporaryVisa at 07:14 AM JST - 7th February

Maybe Mr. Lawless is more concerned with the declining influence of the United States in the region because of the rise in global influence of China and Russia. It's ludicrous to believe Japan can keep the upper hand over these giants. Pursuing a policy of isolation by not facing that reality will not help Japan's future at all.
tegakiSan at 05:53 PM JST - 8th February

Hi there everybody. I have a theory, not that you may care, Japan faces grave problems in current times. But the problems are that they try to copy, emulate, the USA. Does not matter what people around the globe says: this country is the closest you can get to a perfect society. And those who ignore this reality, are precisely that. Salaries for executives are not HUGE. Maybe big. Companies try as much as they can to protect and keep their employees on the job. Those companies also bust their business by busting their employees participation. The dogma is that companies are old style and their style is heading to vanish. I truly believe that Japan should kick the American-habit, protect their culture, and do things the old way. The may also bust their pride.
smithinjapan at 11:06 AM JST - 10th February

pointofview: "The only thing that might fall the American empire is the "Doomsday Comet." And something tells me that that wont even do it...Despite flawed leadership and policies, I think the American government this time around or perhaps from this point in time onward, will take appropriate measures at trying to bring more stability globally. "

If you read the original comment a little more closely, you'll see that realist follows the point you quoted by saying more or less what you stated yourself; that the US has recently elected a government poised on changing the decline and perhaps stabilizing/reversing it, and contrasting this with Japan, which is hell-bent on indeed declining.

Do I want to see China/Russia as the next world leaders? No, not at all, but the fact of the matter is that it's possible with the current mess, at least as far as China is concerned, and maybe India.

Japan? It's already lost, and will stay that way for a LONG time. Look at the upcoming election... even if Aso bails, who takes the LDP reigns? Does anyone believe Ozawa is a good alternative and that things will change under the opposition party? I sure don't.
fordtuff at 03:40 PM JST - 10th February

Japan has been in decline since the early 1990's, when the original housing bubble burst... as a result of developing poor relations with the USA. Lawless is merely saying what a lot of people have been thinking for years, that Japan and the Japanese way of doing things don't coincide with the speed and urgency of todays ever changing world. Japan has allowed it's economy to absolutely tank. The world has give them wise advice on how to fix the problem, but like dogs and deamons, Japan has chosen the easy way... export to America. But now, they've overfished those waters to extinction and the backlash is being felt in every automaking factory worldwide.

Japans banks are a mess, the health industry is in serious decline as hospitals are understaffed or worse yet simply antiquated. The education sytsem is failing as Japanese students continue their downward spiral, social problems are rampant with murder and suicide remaining off the charts. Food dependance has skyrocketed, consumer prices remain outrageous, food and consumer safety is a joke... gee, have I missed anything ? Yeh, the last winter Olympics produced one stinkin medal ! The nation is, and has been, in decline and there is no way to deny it !
apecNetworks at 09:53 AM JST - 11th February

The US prevailed in that struggle.