Ishihara Unplugged: China A “Thief,” America “Unreliable” - Wall Street Journal (blog)

By Yuka Hayashi

Calling China a “thief” waiting to break in, and the U.S. a “rather unreliable” ally, Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara Tuesday made a new suggestion on Japan’s defense strategy: speed up the development of conventional weapons and space technology.

European Pressphoto Agency

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara speaks at the FCCJ on May 29.

Taking his signature rhetoric of confrontation one step farther, Mr. Ishihara used an appearance before foreign journalists to make the case that Japan can show off its technological prowess by developing weapons and bringing them to the testing stage in a short period of time. Specifically, Mr. Ishihara noted, Japan has a strong edge in conventional strike missiles and unmanned spacecraft.

“Japan doesn’t have to start manufacturing nuclear weapons. We could still have capabilities for deterrence,”  the governor said during his appearance at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.

Mr. Ishihara, 79, is a novelist-turned-politician who has been governor of Tokyo since 1999. He has long been known for his combative style and nationalistic views and has often upset officials in cities from Beijing to Washington with inflammatory remarks about bilateral relations. He first burst on the scene during the peak of Japan’s boom era in 1989, Mr. Ishihara co-authored a book titled “The Japan That Can Say No,” touting the superiority of Japan’s business model over America’s.

Those scribes who came Tuesday for fresh meat weren’t disappointed.

Japan must guard itself from China’s expansionary ambitions, which, Mr. Ishihara said, are now turned outward after conquering Mongolia and the Uighur people and decimating Tibet. The governor had shocked Japan and outraged China with his announcement in April that Tokyo would try to buy disputed islands in the East China Sea, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

“China has declared it would break into someone else’s home. It’s time we make sure doors are properly locked on our islands,” he said.  “Before we know it, Japan could become the sixth star on China’s national flag. I really don’t want that to happen.”

As of May 28, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has received ¥951 million ($12 million) from roughly 67,000 people in contributions to be spent for purchasing the islands from a private Japanese owner. The governor said the metropolitan government was forced to make that offer as the central government wouldn’t do what he thinks is its job.

Throughout  the speech, Mr. Ishihara referred to China as “Shina”,  the name normally associated with the era of Japanese occupation of China.

While painting China as a dangerous rival, Mr. Ishihara wasn’t shy to express his suspicion of the U.S., Japan’s closest ally. He noted that Washington hasn’t been consistent in guaranteeing their bilateral security treaty would cover the disputed islands.

“When it comes to the Senkaku Islands, I’d say the U.S. is rather unreliable,” he said.