ASIA NEWS SEPTEMBER 24, 2010, 9:52 A.M. ET
Japan to Release Chinese Boat Captain
By YUKA HAYASHI and JEREMY PAGE
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703384204575511033698480628.html?mod=WSJASIA_hpp_LEADNewsCollection
Japanese prosecutors announced Friday they will release a Chinese sea captain held in its custody since a ship collision earlier this month, buckling under intense pressure from Beijing amid fears that the dispute could threaten Japan's business interests. While the move is likely to defuse tensions between Asia's two largest economies, it raises the danger of emboldening China as it pursues similar disputes with other Asian neighbors.
"We decided it was inappropriate to continue the investigation while keeping the suspect in custody any further, considering the effects on Japanese citizens and the future of the Japan-China relationship," said Toru Suzuki, a senior prosecutor at the Naha prosecutors' office in Okinawa, at a hastily called news conference Friday afternoon. In addition to the consideration for bilateral relations, the prosecutors said, the decision to release the captain was aided by the observation that ramming the coast guard ship was a spontaneous act, not a premeditated one, and that the captain had no criminal record in Japan.
A chief aide to Prime Minister Naoto Kan insisted that the decision was made independently by the prosecutors, and didn't come from prodding by the national government. Yoshito Sengoku, chief cabinet secretary, said prosecutors reached the latest decision "after diligently following the domestic legal procedure."
Still, the move drew harsh attacks from opposition political parties. The decision carried the ''risk of sending the wrong message," said Sadakazu Tanigaki, head of the Liberal Democratic Party, the largest opposition group in parliament. It is ''not good for the future to give the impression that [Japan] caved in to China's pressure," he added, according to Kyodo News Service. Yoshimi Watanabe, head of a small but rapidly growing party was quoted by Kyodo as telling reporters: ''The decision can only be taken as succumbing to Chinese pressure.''
China responded to the prosecutors' announcement by announcing it will send a chartered plane to pick up the captain, but continued to insist he had been detained illegally, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website.
Despite the tough rhetoric and acts of defiance, the outcome of the dispute reflects a triumph of pragmatism over nationalism on both sides. China's actions were far more restrained than during the last outbreak of nationalist anger toward Japan, in 2005, when rioters in several cities attacked Japanese restaurants and overturned Japanese cars. China's government kept popular anger in check this time, and limited its own response beyond its angry statements. Japan ultimately backed down on what it had portrayed as a matter of legal principle when it appeared the issue might damage broader ties.
[Japanese prosecutors announced they will release a Chinese sea captain who has been in Japanese custody since a ship collision earlier this month.]
The bilateral rift began after the fishing trawler collided with two Japanese coast guard patrol vessels in disputed waters in the East China Sea on Sept. 7, resulting in the detention of its 41-year-old captain on charges of obstructing official duties.
Demanding his immediate and unconditional release, Beijing had stepped up pressure on Tokyo in the past several days, escalating the dispute into the worst confrontation between the two nations in five years. China had rejected a bilateral summit meeting when Mr. Kan and his Chinese counterpart, Premier Wen Jiabao were visiting the United Nations this week, and canceled cultural-exchange programs and energy development talks.
The prosecutors' decision came as headlines indicated the dispute was spreading to bilateral business relations. Some Japanese companies had expressed concern about the possibility of lost business, from canceled tours to restrictions of exports of essential minerals for industrial use. Earlier in the day, Banri Kaieda, minister of state for economic and fiscal policy, told reporters at a news conference: "The risks are serious... There has been a very sudden slowdown in areas such as trade with China and tourism."
[Japan releases a Chinese fishing captain after days of refusing to do so -- and after facing mounting pressure from China. What does this mean for the country, and the region, going forward? Mariko Sanchanta, WSJ Tokyo deputy bureau chief, discusses with Japan Editor Jake Schlesinger
.Chinese authorities also this week detained and launched an investigation into four employees of Fujita Corp., a Tokyo-based construction company, for allegedly entering and filming in a military zone in China, although it wasn't clear if the action was related to the diplomatic dispute.]
Until Friday's about-face, Japan had handled the matter with uncharacteristic sternness, repeatedly declining to release the sea captain, saying that it will follow its domestic legal proceedings to determine his treatment. After renewing the initial detention period last Sunday, authorities had to decide whether to charge him by Sept. 29 — then suddenly decided to release him five days before that deadline.
The latest row unfolded at a time when China plays an increasingly critical role in Japanese companies' business activities reflecting China's rapid economic growth. Last year, China became the largest market for Japanese exports, exceeding the U.S. for the first time. Japanese manufacturers continue to expand production in China, while Japan's struggling domestic tourism industry is finding hopes for revival thanks to a sudden influx of Chinese tourists.
As tensions rose, the Obama administration also pressed the two nations to resolve their dispute, while casting itself as a neutral party. On Thursday, President Barack Obama held separate meetings with Mr. Kan and Mr. Wen, though the topic of the trawler dispute wasn't specifically mentioned, according to U.S. officials.
China is likely to portray the captain's release as a diplomatic victory—especially since he wasn't charged—after making repeated official protests and threats to Japan over the past two weeks.
The timing reflects particularly well on Mr. Wen, who personally called for the captain to be freed on Tuesday while attending a U.N. meeting in New York.
Internally, however, there is likely to be continued debate in China over how the country's leaders handled this dispute, and how they should react to similar ones in the future, especially in the East and South China Sea, analysts say.
Japan and other U.S. allies in the region are taking a harder line on territorial issues as a part of a broader regional strategy, backed by the U.S., to stand up to an increasingly powerful China.
The latest evidence of that backlash came Friday when President Obama discussed territorial disputes in the South China Sea—where Beijing stakes large claims, many in dispute with its neighbors—at a meeting with leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations on the sidelines of the U.N. meeting.
To discourage further regional pushback, hawkish People's Liberation Army generals and some nationalistic academics in China would have liked to see the government taking stronger countermeasures against Japan, analysts say.
An editorial earlier this week in the Global Times, the most nationalistic official mouthpiece, suggested that however the crisis was resolved, China should still take punitive measures against Japan afterward.
"Provoking China comes with a heavy price tag. Finding Japan's soft spot will help end its hostile policies against China during its rise," said another editorial in the paper on Tuesday.
Other organs of the Chinese state, including the Foreign Ministry, were more concerned about muting nationalist protests and not disrupting one of China's most important commercial relationships.
"This is a victory for Chinese diplomacy," said Li Guoqiang, an expert on territorial disputes at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "China's official protests were effective. I don't agree that China should continue to take measures against Japan after the captain has been released."
Another indication of the mixed reactions in China came from the initial responses on Sina.com's microblog, which is similar to Twitter.
"Japanese compromised!" wrote one user, while another posted: "Japan finally decides to let captain go but I still felt China loses this time. Hope our country will become stronger in the future."
The captain's release could have political ramifications in Japan as well. The spat with China has been viewed as the first major test for the three-month old government of Mr. Kan on how to manage relations with its increasingly powerful neighbor. The refusal to bow to Chinese pressure to release the captain until Friday had surprised many foreign-policy experts. Mr. Kan's Democratic Party of Japan, a center-left government that swept to power a year ago, have emphasized strengthening ties with Asian neighbors such as China and South Korea, while seeking more equal relationship with the U.S.
At the same time, DPJ lawmakers have raised concerns about China's growing maritime ambitions in the Western Pacific. They have cited that as a reason for maintaining and "deepening" its national security ties with the U.S., strained in recent months as a result of a thorny row over the relocation of a U.S. military base in Okinawa. Mr. Kan may face criticism that Tokyo caved in too easily to China's intense pressure. As soon as the news of the captain's release was aired, internet space was filled with comments lambasting the DPJ as weak and unfit to govern. "This nation really does not have foreign policy and has no ability...it's a shame that [Japan] easily gave up their last cards. They [Chinese] are shaking us up badly," moaned one person on Twitter.
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Japan to release Chinese boat captain
By Mure Dickie in Tokyo
Published: September 24 2010 09:53 | Last updated: September 24 2010 09:53
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e9bad4b8-c7b6-11df-8683-00144feab49a.html
Japan has decided to release the Chinese fishing boat captain at the centre of a fierce diplomatic dispute between Tokyo and Beijing, a move certain to ease frictions between the powers.
Chinese leaders, including Premier Wen Jiabao, in recent days repeatedly demanded the immediate release of captain Zhan Qixiong, who was detained after a clash with Japanese coast guard vessels in disputed waters of the East China Sea.
China’s announcement on Thursday that it was investigating four Japanese citizens for “illegally” filming a military site was also interpreted as an effort to increase the pressure for the release of Mr Zhan.
In announcing on Friday that Mr Zhan would be returned to China, Japanese prosecutors in the southern prefecture of Okinawa made clear that the diplomatic dispute had been a factor in their decision.
“Considering the implications for citizens of our nation and future Japan-China relations ... it was not appropriate to continue to hold the captain in custody for further investigation,” a spokesman said.
The release of Mr Zhan should mark the end of what had become the biggest diplomatic setback suffered by the government of Naoto Kan, Japan’s prime minister, since he took office three months ago.
However, it is also sure to expose Mr Kan and the ruling Democratic party to accusations that it bowed to pressure from Japan’s giant communist neighbour.
Seiji Maehara, Japan’s new foreign minister who is relatively hawkish on China, had repeatedly stressed that the fishing boat was operating in Japanese territory and that legal action against the captain should be handled according to domestic law.
In his previous role as transport and infrastructure minister, where he was responsible for the coast guard, Mr Maehara went to see the damage to two of the service’s vessels in collisions that Japanese officials say were caused by the fishing boat.
Mr Zhan could still be formally charged over the collisions. However, prosecutors said that other factors in the decision to release the captain included a judgement that his actions were not premeditated, and recognition that nobody had been injured in the incident and that the coast guard patrol boats had not been rendered inoperable.
Japanese officials had been dismayed by the escalation in China’s reaction, which included halting top level government contacts and the cancellation of an invitation by Mr Wen to 1,000 young Japanese to visit the Shanghai Expo this week.
Concerns grew further when Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, on Thursday said state security in Hebei province had taken “measures” against four Japanese citizens “according to law after receiving a report about their illegal activities”.
Xinhua said the four had trespassed and filmed military sites “in recent days”. China has many military zones scattered around the country, some of them poorly marked, making involuntary trespass comparatively easy.
Fujita, the Japanese construction company, on Friday said it had been informed that four of its employees had been detained by Chinese authorities. The company said it had not been in touch with the employees since Wednesday.
Kyodo news agency said the four men had reportedly been visiting China’s northern Hebei Province to “prepare for bidding on a project to dispose of chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Japanese military at the end of World War II”.
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