THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
Making the rules-based international order robust
photo: © 2020 shigemi okano/Shutterstock
EU-Japan security cooperation in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by Professor Hideshi Tokuchi, President of the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) and Indo-Pacific correspondent of this magazine, Tokyo
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ussia’s invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of established international law, swaying the rules-based international order. As it is an outright challenge to the global order, it will affect the stability and security of the entire world including the Indo-Pacific.
World security is indivisible In the same way that European security is indivisible, as clearly described in the EU’s Strategic Compass, world security is indivisible. In his address to the Japanese National Diet, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that he did not see any distance between Kyiv and Tokyo. He is absolutely right, because today’s world is so connected that there is no such thing as security only for Europe or only for the Indo-Pacific. In fact, Russia is a resident power of the Indo-Pacific, too. The Russian navy has been operating more actively in northeast Asia these days. Russia continues to illegally occupy Japan’s Northern Territories and said recently that it would suspend peace treaty talks with Japan in response to the latter’s sanctions on Russia. China and Russia are colluding with each other, saying in the recent Joint Statement that their relations are superior to cold war alliances and that their friendship has no limits. In the same Joint Statement, Russia reaffirmed its support for China’s position on Taiwan. The Taiwanese are more concerned about their future, saying that today’s Ukraine is tomorrow’s Taiwan. Indo-Pacific regional countries are carefully watching if and how the situation in Europe will affect China’s options toward Taiwan. Meanwhile, North Korea will never abandon its nuclear
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ambition, probably believing that Russia’s nuclear blackmail makes the US and NATO hesitate in direct military involvement in Ukraine. In the past, North Korea said that Iraq and Libya collapsed due to their lack of nuclear weapons. It is highly possible that North Korea believes that if Ukraine had not abandoned nuclear weapons, Russia could not have invaded. ICBM-capable North Korea is not a regional threat, but a global one. Japan, neighbouring Russia, China and North Korea, is more vigilant than ever. The Japanese are also concerned about the possibility of China’s use of force against Taiwan, likening the Ukrainian situation to Taiwan. Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the expression that a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency was becoming popular in Japan, particularly because of the geographical proximity of Japan to Taiwan and because of the strong partnership and friendship between Taiwan and Japan. According to a Japanese opinion poll conducted in March, more than three quarters of the respondents were concerned about the possibility that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would affect the situation involving Taiwan. According to another poll, nearly 80% of the Japanese respondents believe that Japan’s own national security has been threatened by the Russian act.
Allies must cooperate in the Indo-Pacific The situation involving Ukraine clearly shows that no single country can achieve its national security all by itself. Partnership of like-minded countries has proven to be indispensable in the past several weeks. The role of the United States... Moreover, after the Russian invasion, the international community has proved that US leadership is highly expected. In his address to the US Congress, Zelensky wished for US President Biden to be the leader of the world, but he did not say the same to the leaders of any other countries. The US leadership
