月曜日の夜、同志社大学の研究室からジュネーブに住む英国人と日英準同盟を議論していた。翌日まとめて質問を投げかけたら回答があった。
公開して良いというので下記にコピーします。
Can we re-marry?
- Why did you want to marry us after we had beaten Russia
回答：We had committed in the first place mainly to counter Russia, and even after your 1905 victory there was still a concern that Russia would come back for vengeance, and UK was concerned for a while even about France, and the USA, so it was a very fluid time for UK threat perception. I think also that the capabilities shown by Japan in 1905 impressed people and so your value as an ally was increased by that.
- Why did you want to divorce us after we protected you from German during WWI? Why did you choose the US and betrayed us?
回答：After WWI we had a massive debt to USA and that gave Washington a lot of leverage over us. Of course the Russia threat as a common binding factor between UK and Japan largely faded with the 1917 revolution, which saw Russia draw back in several key areas. Also US was jealous of Japan’s position in China and so that became incompatible with our support for Japan’s position there. After WWI and especially the economic depression that followed, Britain was accelerating de-colonization planning, so the rationale for having an Asian ally to share the burden was reduced. Finally the UK was not only driven by British interests, but wider commonwealth interests. For instance, Australians were afraid of an inflow of Japanese migrants into Australia and so also lined up with the anti-alliance camp.
3. Japan proposed a racial equality clause during the Peace Conference, then Japan took the initiative to establish a new global order i.e. the League of Nations. Did it make you feel bad?
回答：Some were supportive of racial equality but in other areas our Empire relied on racial hierarchy as a rationale of governance. E.g. S. Africa. As a commonwealth these considerations also weighed in the balance with our overall policy. People like Churchill were unable to accept a principle of racial equality and its implications for the rule of India, etc. I suspect that British sensitivities to losing pre-eminence on the global stage were also increased by the obvious fact that we were being overtaken by the USA. Probably that also added to a defensive feeling about others taking a hand in designing a new order.
4 How has the China issue affected our relationship? Britain was only the country who understood “what is China” and the Japanese reaction toward them.
回答: I think China was a site of sharper economic competition among all developed countries in the period WWI onward. After CCP victory over Nationalists, UK had a similar attitude to Communist China as Japan, which was to continue trade but keep a political distance. Now there is a connection between Hong Kong and Taiwan, I wonder what kind of common position we could have.
５. Yes, our aim of war was “beat Britain and US, liberate Asia”. As a result Britain lost many colonies in the Indo-Pacific. What do you feel?
回答：I personally do not have bad feelings about the Japanese liberation of formerly British colonies, but for some people in UK the memories of harsh POW conditions are still painful. I think this should be an area where we come together in remembrance. Last time I went to Singapore for the Shangri-La dialogue, I went to the Kranji war cemetary and saw wreaths there from the Australian and NZ representatives. It mad me wish that the UK Defence Minister had invited the Japanese Defence Minister to go together and pay respects to all the war dead. What do you think about it?
As for the colonies, we ended up fighting together against the communists in many cases after 1945 (Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, etc.) which was part of our final exit from the region. I am reading a book now called Mountbatten`s Samurai about how many IJA continued to serve under British command to keep order after the surrender.
６．Despite our past, do you still want to re-marry us? Or Can we re-marry? For what?
回答：I think the history is part of the relationship to be treasured. It makes it easier for people today to imagine having a friend and ally from the other side of the world. History shows what is possible and gives examples to push back with when critics say "we would never do that". The history is a shared context and basis for a future relationship and provides opportunities for deeper connections. It is like a path grown over, but still with a little work you can walk down that path again more easily than if it was just virgin jungle.
For today the purpose is a global partnership to maintain our values in the world, so that we can maintain those values in our own countries. Democratic government, freedoms of speech and economic freedoms, basic human rights that come from sovereignty of the individual, sovereign equality among countries big and small. Decency, really.
５つ目の質問への回答にある問いかけ。私は戦後、戦艦三笠と東郷神社再建を助けてくれたニミッツ司令官のことをあげたい。戦いが終わった兵士はお互いを尊敬するのが、騎士道、武士道、なのではないか？JFKも自分を撃った日本兵を見つけキャロライン・ケネディ女史までその交流が続いている。
そして戦後日本帝国陸軍はマウントバッテンの侍としてインドネシアやマレーシアから共産主義と戦った、って本当？知らなかった。この本和訳ないだろうか？
2013年、ポーツマスで開催された式典での日本国、林大使のスピーチ。
https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/embassy/ambassador/speech/PortsmouthNavalReception.pdf
