Japanese foreign policy towards the Republic of Croatia: the non-military practice of post-Cold War trilateralism and multilateralism 1989–1993

Abstract

After the Cold War, one of the biggest security challenges in Europe was the war in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). This article analyses Japanese foreign policy towards the Republic of Croatia, considering it the focal point of the Yugoslav crisis from the end of the Cold War in 1989, through the disintegration of the SFRY in 1991, until the establishment of diplomatic relations with Japan in 1993. Although the general opinion was that Japan did not have strong interests in this region, this article shows that Japan used the trilateral US–Europe–Japan framework to approach the Yugoslav crisis. It is argued that Japan acted indirectly through international institutions. Japan acted bilaterally to condition international recognition and sanctions using diplomacy and aid as its tools and multilaterally through the EBRD, G7, G24, UN, and the CSCE/OSCE by providing Japanese nationals as election monitoring staff. Japan’s diplomatic efforts and humanitarian and reconstruction aid in the former SFRY were considerable. The larger implications of this article concern Japan–EU relations. By aiding the former SFRY republics to achieve democracy and market economy, Japan facilitated future NATO and EU expansion to protect its economic interests in the region.

Keywords:

• Japanese foreign policy
• Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
• Croatia
• trilateralism
• multilateralism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 For Japan-EU relatons see: Bacon, Mayer, and Nakamura (2015); Gilson (2000, 2020); Hook et al. (2011); Mykal (2011); Tsuruoka (2008); Tsuruoka (2012); Hosoya (2012). Relations among Croatia, Central and Eastern Europe, and the European Union are analysed in: Grubiša, Beširević, and Špehar (2012); Glaurdić (2011); Smith (2004); Beširević (2013); Blockmans (2007). Critique of United Nations peacekeeping in Croatia can be found in: Miškulin (2010, 2011). For further reading on this topic see: Peric (2019, 16–33, 2020, 32–44)

2 Officially, the Japanese Government uses the term ‘peace loving country’, MOFA (2016).

3 The 1955 system is a term first used by Junnosuke Masumi to describe merging of parties in the left wing into the Japan Socialist Party (JSP), and on the right wing into the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to concentrate power and take control of the government in October 1955 (Masumi 1988).

4 As per the so-called Juu wari kokka [Ten percent country], Japan held 12%, the EC held 21%, and the US held 28% of the world GNP (MOFA 1988).

5 See also: Suzuki (2014); Winand (2015).

6 Only the US subscribed 10%; the United Kingdom, West Germany, France, and Italy had the same share as Japan.

7 MOFA (2020).

8 Dražen Hrastić, (Croatian Ambassador to Japan.) ‘Interview with Marcela Perić in the Embassy of Republic of Croatia, Tokyo’. 28 February 2019. Held by the author.

9 Ibid.

10 Department of Public Information, United Nations (2019).

11 Disclosed letter by MOFA, dated 5 March 1993, by Ambassador Onodera to Ambassador Brnelić. December 2016, Tokyo.

12 Japan allotted $200M each for conflict settlement to former Yugoslavia, Cambodia, and Somalia (MOFA 1993).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology [grant number 150556] and Suntory Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Marcela Perić

Marcela Perić is affiliated to the Graduate School of Law, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. She has been Suntory foundation fellow since 2019. Her research focuses on the political relationship between the EC/EU, Japan, Croatia and Western Balkans in the post-Cold War era. She may be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected]