Japan sought the understanding of other countries, including China and South Korea, in advance of its decision to send Self-Defense Forces minesweepers to the Middle East after the Gulf War cease-fire in 1991, according to diplomatic records declassified Wednesday.
Before finalizing the dispatch of SDF ships to the Persian Gulf in April that year, Japan had, behind the scenes, sounded out other Asian nations as well on their views on such a move, fearing that doing so could stir up memories of Imperial Japan's militarism, according to the records.
A senior Chinese official was quoted as telling the then Japanese ambassador to China that "sending the SDF overseas is an extremely sensitive issue in whatever form," but that "we understand and agree that Japan will join in reconstruction work of the Gulf area."
The official also expressed hope that Japan would "deal with the issue delicately," two days before then Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu's government made the minesweeper dispatch decision, according to the documents.
The South Korean foreign minister at that time also showed understanding toward the mission, which would only serve a "limited purpose" of sweeping mines, when the Japanese envoy to the nation explained Tokyo's stance, the records showed.
But the minister also said there were "concerns" over the plan from "many nations in this region," according to the documents.
Japan decided to send minesweepers and supply ships to the Persian Gulf, the first war-related overseas mission for the SDF, following criticism for engaging in "checkbook diplomacy" after it gave $13 billion to U.S.-led coalition forces in the Gulf War rather than contributing personnel.
Then U.S. President George H.W. Bush directly urged Kaifu to provide logistical support to the U.S. military via the SDF in the wake of the 1990 Gulf crisis, despite restraints imposed by Japan's war-renouncing Constitution, according to separate records declassified by the Foreign Ministry a year ago.
After the mission in the Middle East, the government promulgated legislation in 1992 that enabled Japan's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. The country has joined such missions overseas ever since.
The latest records also showed that a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said China and South Korea would "complain in one way or another" about the dispatch, but even so, that should not lead to cancellation of the plan.
Japan once invaded a wide area of China, while it ruled the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
The government saw "no obviously problematic reactions" from other Asian nations, with Indonesia rather "grateful for the advance notification," according to the records. Indonesia was under the control of Imperial Japan during World War II.
Other Asian nations with ports that SDF vessels planned to visit, including Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, had reacted "positively" to the dispatch plan, according to the documents. The three countries were occupied or attacked by the Imperial Japanese forces when they were under British rule.
The Philippines initially showed reluctance toward an SDF visit to a U.S. base in Subic, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila, due to a possible impact on its talks with Washington on the return of the base, but ended up allowing the port call, the papers said.
The base was handed back to the Southeast Asian nation in 1992.
The records showed that the government also sought responses from the Mideast nations, and many of them, including Kuwait, welcomed Japan's plan. Saudi Arabia said, though, that Tokyo's action was "almost too late."
Related coverage:
Japan mulls lethal weapon exports by revising strict rules
Ex-Japan PM Kaifu, who dispatched SDF to Persian Gulf, dies at 91
U.S. asked Japan to send SDF during Gulf crisis: declassified records
