CPP: Japanese Imperialism Is Doing The Bidding Of The US Imperialists To Its Own Advantage

Marco Valbuena | Chief Information Officer | Communist Party Of The Philippines

November 7, 2023

The recent visit by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida form part of its drive to expand its geopolitical influence through expansion of its military power and reach. Japan has been carrying out this push over the past decade or so under the auspices of the US imperialism. The visit paved the way for plans to allow Japanese military forces to use the country as its Southeast Asian outpost.

Kishida’s visit pushed for plans to forge a visiting forces agreement or reciprocal access agreement to allow Japanese military forces to freely go in and out of the country and use Philippine ports for purposes of refueling and resupplying its warships and providing recreation for its crew.

Japan’s plans to expand its military operations here in the country further erode Philippine sovereignty and pull the country closer into the growing vortex of inter-imperialist wars in the region. It made a publicity stunt of providing a grant for a “coastal radar” system involving a ¥600 million or ₱235 million Japanese loan to buy old generation surplus equipment from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, a Japanese company. It dangled promises to fund infrastructure projects.

Japan has long employed its surplus capital to take advantage of the backward economic situation in the Philippines to serve its own economic interests. It extends loans through its Export-Import Bank, the Asian Development Bank and so-called official development assistance to fund infrastructure projects and other programs which invariably require the Philippines to buy Japanese equipment and consumables as a way of unloading Japan of its surplus commodities.

Marcos bureaucrat capitalists fawned over Kishida during his recent visit in the rush to get their share of the promised funds. They displayed utter subservience to Japan and promised to sign and ratify the agreement even before it has existed. The Marcos regime and the ruling classes in the Philippines always act slavishly and bow to every imperialist power they meet.

Japan is a junior imperialist partner of the US that has its own ambitions of regaining its “old glory” as an imperial power. It is part of the Quad alliance with the US, Australia and India. Goaded by the US, Japan has been strengthening its military power, including plans to produce fighter jets. It is set on expanding its armed presence in the Philippines and various parts of Asia. Japanese militarism has been on the rise in recent years. In line with its National Security Strategy formulated in December 2022, it plans to spend $321 billion for its military in 2023-2027, a 56% jump from the previous period of 2019-2023.

The US wants Japan to increase its military presence in the South China Sea in line with the so-called “Indo-Pacific Strategy” of the US to encircle China from the “first island chain” of countries nearest China. US machinations are further militarizing the area leading to increased dangers of armed conflict. The imperialist US is dragging its military allies in the area and using the Philippines as an outpost for their naval forces.

Japan is doing the bidding of the imperialist US. At the same time, as a capitalist giant and imperialist power, it also serves its advantage to strengthen its military might and use it to expand its economic interests and geopolitical influence. It is being driven to increase military spending in the hope of energizing its economy that has been dragged down by three decades of stagnation. As an imperialist power, Japan needs to expand its sources of raw materials, spheres of influence, and fields of investments for its surplus capital.

The Filipino people must unite and resist the plans allowing Japan to gain a military foothold in the Philippines, in line with US imperialist strategy. At the same time, they must demand that all imperialist powers, including the US and China, withdraw all its military forces in the South China Sea in order to prevent any possibility of armed hostilities breaking out which invariably will drag the country into a war that goes against the people’s interest.

Resisting US and Japanese intervention forms part of the overall struggle of the Filipino people for national and social liberation, which must be advanced vigorously and with even more urgency.

Source : https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/japanese-imperialism-is-doing-the-bidding-of-the-us-imperialists-to-its-own-advantage/