Japanese still remember the US humiliation after World War II and Shinzo Abe is looking for an opportunity to clean this from the historical memory of Japanese people. If it happens, the name of Shinzo Abe will remain in Japanese history.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to travel to Iran next week, the first visit by a Japanese prime minister in the past four decades as Tokyo hopes to mediate between Washington and Tehran. The Japanese did not play much role in the diplomatic arena after World War II, and their political relations with other countries were limited to bilateral relations.
The US still remains the most influential country in Japan's foreign policy after 74 years of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Therefore, the Japanese tendency to mediate between Iran and the US is primarily aimed at rebuilding its foreign policy and making it more active in the international arena and, secondly, it seems that the Abe's move is with the green light of Washington.
In this regard, there is no need to analyze Japan's interest to play an active role in the international arena. Japanese still remember the US humiliation after World War II and Shinzo Abe is looking for an opportunity to clean this from Japanese memory. If it happens, the name of Shinzo Abe will remain in Japanese history.
Japan is the best option for mediation between Iran and the US in this period of time according to current US officials’ views.
Donald Trump has chosen Japan deliberately to persuade Iran that it might expect a similar economy to Japan if it surrenders to the US.
Japan has succeeded in fixation their position as the world's third largest economy after Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 and surrendering to the US over the past 74 years.
Japan and Iran have maintained a good relationship since 1929 but Shinzo Abe is the representative of a country in which 52 percent of his people have a negative attitude toward Iran and 61 percent of them agreed with US sanctions against Iran. It is also important to note that Japan has never been neutral to Iran's issues. Ultimately, Shinzo Abe is the messenger of Trump to Iranian authorities.
What should be the reaction of Iran to Abe’s visit?
It will be a strategic mistake for Iran to take Shinzo Abe seriously on the tensions between Iran and the US. The Japanese do not have a significant role in the field of international relations, and no one takes them seriously. Even they eye the US support in their own direct tensions with North Korea. Now, how can they be able to have authority on Iran-US relationship? The presence of the Japan as mediator in the tension between Iran and the US can even become more complicated due to Japanese ambitions in foreign policy.
In spite of their strong economy, in the field of foreign policy Japan does not act independently and just follows US policies.
Before Shinzo Abe’s visit to Tehran, It should be reminded that how the Japanese are going to act independently as a mediator after 74 years of having dependent foreign policy on the US.
ZZ/8 Sobh
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