Killing of Japanese hostage gives Tokyo excuse to ‘join overseas military operations’
PUBLISHED : Monday, 26 January, 2015, 4:58pm
UPDATED : Monday, 26 January, 2015, 6:15pm
Andrea Chen and Agence France-Presse
Islamic State militants had demanded US$200 million for the release of Haruna Yukawa, right, and Kenji Goto. Photo: AFP
The execution of a Japanese hostage by Islamic State militants in the Middle East will give Japan’s government an “excuse” to change its defence policy and allow its troops to take part in military operations overseas, according to an editorial in a state-run newspaper in China.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will “face fewer domestic hurdles now if he decides to co-operate with the US strategic deployment and strengthen Japan’s military activities in the Middle East and its security deployment in East Asia”, said the opinion piece in the Global Times, which is affiliated to the Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily.
Haruna Yukawa, one of two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic militant group, is thought to have been executed by Islamic State, who had earlier demanded US$200 million for the pair’s release.
Japan’s use of its military forces is limited to self-defence under the country’s pacifist constitution introduced after the second world war, but Abe has signalled that he wants to lift some of the restraints which he views as unfair.
The Global Times said that now Japanese citizens had fallen victim to terrorism, Tokyo should also reassess the challenges it faces around the globe instead of simply portraying China as its major threat and “deferring to the US”.
The newspaper said it strongly condemned the brutal killing of the Japanese hostage, but also hoped the Japanese public would take a “clear-cut stance” on any terrorist attacks in China.
“The killing of the Japanese hostage is more or less the price that Japan has paid for its support for Washington,” the editorial said.
Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have been strained over the past year, particularly over their rival claims to the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japan.
China’s government also alleges that Japan has not fully atoned for the atrocities committed in Asia by Japanese troops during the second world war, an allegation Tokyo denies.
The Global Times frequently adopts a more hawkish and nationalistic tone than other state media in China, particularly over issues affecting the country’s defence and sovereignty.
