The Global and Asian Security Situation - Foundation Office Japan / Regional Economic Programme Asia (SOPAS)
Seminar
Details
During the visit to Japan by Dr. Karl-A. Lamers, Dr. Karl-Heinz Kamp and Michael Rühle the KAS Japan Office organized on 27 July 2012 in cooperation with the Kyoto University a seminar on "The Global and Asian Security Situation: The View of NATO", which was attended by a number of scientists, lecturers and students of the university from the fields of political science and international law.
After introductory remarks by the three German NATO experts Prof. Hiroshi Nakanishi, himself an expert on Japanese foreign policy and international relations and currently the Chair of political science, highlighted the dominant role of the United States in the security policy related world view and discussions of Japan. A stronger presence of European states in the Japanese perception was urgently necessary. According to his view, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was already gaining valuable insights by watching Europe more closely while thinking about new directions for Japan's relation to the United States. This, as was mentioned, was true despite the stronger asymmetry in the bilateral relations between Japan and the United States compared to the multilateral constellation in NATO. In contradiction to the situation of the European states, the scientists from the Kyoto University saw Japan more surrounded by partners of need, while it was like NATO and other states especially for the future much more in need of partners of choice, who shared similar interests and common values.
According to the assessment of the NATO experts the multilateral framework of NATO also had numerous advantages for the United States, for example a widening of their legimitation as well as a general feeling of solidarity and belonging among all member states. Their surely were even after 60 years of history now and then some differences - which with remarkabe predominance occured among the original founding members rather than involved new member states - however, NATO remained without any reasonable alternative also for the United States, whose political leadership on the other hand was still required by the other NATO members.
In the further discussion the participating students deliberately seized their opportunity to pose direct questions to their experienced guests.