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Japanese PM calls for 'arc of freedom' spanning Pacific(open challenge to China)
AFP ^ | 08/22/07

Posted on 08/22/2007 9:20:47 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

Japanese PM calls for 'arc of freedom' spanning Pacific

Wed Aug 22, 4:12 AM ET

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for a new four-way "arc of freedom and prosperity" with India, Australia and the United States on Wednesday in a speech to the Indian parliament.

"A new broader Asia that broke away from geographical boundaries is now beginning to take on a distinct form," said Abe, who began a three-day visit to India on Tuesday.

Japan is working to ensure that "a region called the 'arc of freedom and prosperity' will be formed along the outer rim of the Eurasian continent," Abe told Indian lawmakers.

"The strategic global partnership of Japan and India is pivotal for such pursuits to be successful," he added.

"By Japan and India coming together in this way, this 'broader Asia' will evolve into an immense network spanning the entirety of the Pacific Ocean incorporating the United States of America and Australia," he said.

The backbone of the four-way strategic and economic alliance would be the sharing of basic values such as freedom, democracy as well as economic clout, Abe said.

"Open and transparent, this network will allow people, goods, capital and knowledge to flow freely," the prime minister told Indian lawmakers.

Abe also called for the early conclusion of a "high-quality economic partnership" with India and forecast a more than doubling of trade between the two nations to 20 billion dollars in three years from eight billion currently.

His remarks came after top Japanese and Indian commerce officials at a business forum vowed to see the partnership pact realised by December.

"India and Japan need to jointly meet the challenges of the new economic architecture," Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said, adding he would work to ensure "this agreement by the end of the year."

Abe, who is accompanied by nearly 200 top Japanese executives, was slated to meet Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh later Wednesday to discuss a number of investment projects including a New Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor.

Abe is due on Thursday to meet the son of the late Radhabinod Pal, the lone judge who dissented at the Allied tribunal that condemned to death war-time Japanese leaders.

"Justice Pal is highly respected even today by many Japanese for the noble spirit of courage he exhibited during the International Military Tribunal for the Far East," said Abe, whose grandfather was charged but never tried for war crimes.

Abe has dismissed suggestions that meeting Pal's son would anger other Asian nations resentful over Japan's war-time atrocities.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abe; arcoffreedom; china; india; japan; tlr
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To: AmericanInTokyo

My first thought, too! HA!


21 posted on 08/23/2007 4:07:12 AM PDT by DTogo (I haven't left the GOP, the GOP left me.)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

How is it being received by other countries? I understand that there is still some bad blood over WWII.


22 posted on 08/23/2007 4:14:32 AM PDT by redgolum ("God is dead" -- Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" -- God.)
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To: redgolum
In S. Korea:

the right: S. Korea could be outmaneuvered by Japan and cut out of loop.

the left: Don’t worry. India would not lean to Japan and US camp. India is just making nice to everyone.

People here are always suspicious of Japan’s move.

23 posted on 08/23/2007 4:21:42 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (kim jong-il, chia head, ppogri, In Grim Reaper we trust)
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To: redgolum
I am not sure about India-Australia relations, but the relationship between the four are going well. Australia is likely to decided to provide Uranium to India, and the other two (US and Japan) are supportive. I’ve seen a poll result from Australia showing positive feelings toward Japan, even there may be some constrains from WWII. China has lost its trust, even in pro-Asia Japan for the food scandals and the frictions over anti-Japan demonstrations in China. In Australia, Prime Minister Howard have met Tibet activist despite criticism of its weak stance against China (and what was surprising was the criticism came from the left). Just years ago, a Chinese diplomat in Australia that requested asylum disclosed China’s plans to politically colonize Australia, increasing anti-Americanism. Not any government wants an open old fashion cold war with China, but it is not hard to imagine militarizing aggressive China is creating fear in the region, pushing the four toward an unity.
24 posted on 08/23/2007 4:34:09 AM PDT by Wiz
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To: Sherman Logan

Nit. He’s the head of government, not the head of state.

In Japan, the Emperor is the head of state.

The Emperor is only a figurehead - much Like the Queen of England. They lack any power over their nations.

25 posted on 08/23/2007 4:44:31 AM PDT by Dr. Marten (http://thehorsesmouth.blog-city.com)
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To: Free Vulcan

I’m not much of a Merkel fan (Gitmo?) but so far I really like the Brit!


26 posted on 08/23/2007 6:36:41 AM PDT by StarCMC (http://cannoneerno4.wordpress.com/2007/08/11/school-of-the-counterpropagandist/)
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To: USMCVet

Maybe they can call it the Security and Prosperity Partnership. Nope, that one’s taken.


27 posted on 08/23/2007 6:37:10 AM PDT by hedgetrimmer (I'm a billionaire! Thanks WTO and the "free trade" system!--Hu Jintao top 10 worst dictators)
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To: AmericanInTokyo
Abe has more backbone than 80% of our so-called leaders in government here. When I lived in Japan, I was told that Bangladesh modeled their flag (red sun, green background) on the Japanese flag because they felt they had so much in common-- rising from the ashes of a war.

But one thing prevented them from ever coming even close. I can't tell you exactly what. But it is a five letter word which starts with an "I" and ends with an "M".

28 posted on 08/23/2007 6:40:31 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: USMCVet
Or perhaps the “Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” as a name...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers that ... still, Japan seems to have benefited from the attitude adjustment we gave them in 1945. I'm willing to "trust but verify".

29 posted on 08/23/2007 6:44:17 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilisation is aborting, buggering, and contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: Vigilanteman

Until 1989 or so, the country was officially secular. That changed, and the system no longer worked.

Yes, Islam.


30 posted on 08/23/2007 6:47:51 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; KlueLass; ...
Ping!
31 posted on 08/23/2007 5:04:00 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Monday, August 20, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Dr. Marten

Absolutely. However, the Queen and Emperor are both heads of state and outrank their Prime Ministers, who are only heads of government.

The US is unusual in that the President fills both roles, although this is true in some other countries also. In most republics there is a president with little direct political power who nevertheless outranks his premier in a formal sense. Israel, India, Ireland, Iran, Iraq are some examples just from the I’s.


32 posted on 08/23/2007 7:19:29 PM PDT by Sherman Logan (Scratch a liberal, find a dhimmi)
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To: CarrotAndStick

True enough. Which is why I said it was just a nit.

The President in most republics fills the ceremonial roles of the old absolute monarchs, and in theory appoints the premier and has the usually theoretical power to remove him from office.

The theory behind this is that the president is above politics, just as the British or Japanese monarch is, and thus can serve as a symbol of national unity without partisan issues getting involved. Parties and administrations come and go, but the nation endures.


33 posted on 08/23/2007 7:23:42 PM PDT by Sherman Logan (Scratch a liberal, find a dhimmi)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

btt


34 posted on 08/23/2007 8:40:53 PM PDT by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: USMCVet

I guess “The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” didn’t work out the way they had intended.


35 posted on 08/24/2007 10:27:47 AM PDT by Last Dakotan
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Chinese attack on the Japanese yen carry trade last week has really frightened the Japanese ruling class. About ten days ago the Yen hit 111 Yen / US Dollar. Since then the Bank of Japan has been in continuous plenary session and Toyota et. al. are looking at insolvency.

In case one is curious, most of the “sub-prime mortgage collateralized obligation” ruckus is due to Japan getting super cheap access to the US market (120 - 130 Yen / US Dollar) and China getting the “strengthen the Yuan” and “level the playing field” tariff threatening rhetoric. The Chinese stopped buying new CDO paper in May - June with the result that the US and European banks in the last three weeks needed one trillion dollars in "emergency" funding to stay open.

The Chinese lack the dollar reserves to pull this off by themselves, I think; as I read things petroleum producing government dollar reserves were pulled out of the CDO market on and just previous to July 17th with the results we have all seen. These dollar reserves are something like ten - fifteen times larger than China's.

I don't think we will see much of dumb as rocks US politicians talking about putting tariffs and "health inspections" on Chinese goods for a while. Probably we have seen the last of the poisoned pet food - lead paint on Mattel toys type stories too. The Chinese showed us unmistakably that they can crash the US and international banking system at will and WILL NOT be pushed around.

"Crashing the banking system" is the same thing as "almost all really rich people are suddenly without a nickel." Not exaggerating.

36 posted on 08/25/2007 1:31:31 AM PDT by Iris7 ("Do not live lies!" ...Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
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To: Iris7
"Crashing the banking system" is the same thing as "almost all really rich people are suddenly without a nickel." Not exaggerating.

I know. I did not realize that oil-producing countries are working in concert with China.

The lesson from globalized finance:

We have no choice to buy hazardous craps to keep our financial system afloat.

I suppose this will continue until the system crashes at not-so-distant future.

37 posted on 08/25/2007 2:41:47 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (kim jong-il, chia head, ppogri, In Grim Reaper we trust)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
I have been looking for signs of oil country sovereign funds being used last month. Data is not good. Evidence about China is pretty clear. Google news hits indicating pretty high up US-Euro concern about sovereign funds made a jump during the 2nd half of July.

The following points to Chinese operations in the Gulf:

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTMwMDY2Nzc0

Published Date: August 27, 2007

“KUWAIT: Head of Public Relations at Kuwait Investment Authority Dalal Al-Rifae said the authority will receive a high ranking Chinese delegation representing major economic and investment companies as part of a tour in the Gulf region. Al-Rifae stressed that the visit comes out of the authority’s keenness to strengthen its relations with Chinese companies through the meeting of both sides to discuss joint economic topics.”

The following article can be read as a veiled threat to sell dollar denominated assets suddenly and massively, “more in sorrow than in anger”, of course:

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=6&section=0&article=100484&d=27&m=8&y=2007

38 posted on 08/28/2007 1:30:17 AM PDT by Iris7 ("Do not live lies!" ...Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Sad that such pan-global visions no longer originate in the USA.

Re-arm Japan and turn them loose.


39 posted on 08/28/2007 1:36:13 AM PDT by IslandJeff (Joel 2 = 2007)
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