Honorary Americans or Honorary Chinese — the Japanese (revised)

In South Africa, during Apartheid, the Japanese were categorized as Honorary Whites. In Asia, today as the Empire’s loyal vassals, they are Honorary Americans.

Little surprise that, following Trumpian logic, the Japanese seem set to move production bases out of China.

There are several purported reasons:

• Fear of interruption of supply chains by over-reliance on China
• The perceived need to stimulate the Japanese economy by setting up factories in Japan, taking advantage of robotics and AI
• Alliance with the US and other “liberal” regimes and fear of US sanctions.
• Americaphilia and Sinophobia

The last point is the most important one. Since WWII, the Japanese have extended their traditional and socially all-encompassing concept of senpai-kohai (senior-junior) to define their relationship with the US. The US won WII and occupied Japan. So they are superiors (senpai) . Japan is an essentially vassal state (kohai).

However, as Honorary Americans, Japanese sees themselves as “senpais” to all other Asians, which accords with their traditional notion of nihonjin ron. The Chinese are a problem in this respect because they have never accepted their “inferiority”. Yet, it is clear that China is back on line, having defeated COVID 19 handily, investing heavily in infrastructure, especially AI and robotics. With its Russia alliance and the BRI initiative, China is leading development of what is the world’s largest market — EurAsia — as the American and European economies implode.

The Japanese attitude to China as unreliable is hard to fathom: China is by far one of the most reliable sources of supply. Certainly, more so than the US. For China, COVID19 was a hiccup, that they have used to gain public support for far reaching reforms.

Compare that to the USA and the UK and the EU, where COVID19 was more like the Black Plague. Reforms? Nope. Back to same-old, which unfortunately is impossible.

Japan may move factories to other countries in Asia — but, increasingly, China IS Asia. with the exception of Vietnam and also India which has serious structural and societal problems under Modi’s neoliberal regime.

In any case, the Russia-China Axis and BRI are the only initiatives with any possibility of future success.

“Localizing” factories back to Japan itself means re-industrialization in fields where Korea is already ahead and China soon will be, if it is not already. Taiwan and Vietnam are developing fast. Re-industrialization will be expensive. and will only be possible in high tech areas. It is doubtful whether Japan can compete.It simply doesn’t have the resources. If China feels Japan is thumbing its nose at them, they will just cut Japan out of their market. Other countries will step in the breach.

So Japan’s purported decision is keep China at arm’s length doesn’t make a lot of sense. Is it another example of the much publicized Japanese reluctance to react innovatively to new challenges? Japanese strategies do tend to be retrogressive although Japan’s “special” relationship with the US of A is not a strategy at all —but a habit — which made a certain degree of sense when America was global top dog.

Far better today is a collaborative partnerships with the Chinese focusing on the fast-developing EurAsian market -and BRI — soliciting Chinese help in relocating industry back to Japan as the Eastern end of the BRI rather than going it alone or as a useless appendage of the American Empire. This would not be “localization” so much as “glocalization”.

Does that American passport matter anymore?

Who even knows if there will be a US of A in 10 years — or a European Union.

Questions, questions….Is Japan really going to move production bases out of Japan? Or is this just talk, maybe aimed at improving Japanese leverage in the Chinese market while keeping the Americans happy? After all, the American dog may be mangy and shit on the carpet but it has big teeth.

Recently, the Japanese refused to condemn China’s decision to enforce national security laws in Hong Kong, which (despite what the Western media say) are designed to protect the “one country, two systems” concept, and promote democratic processes over violence.

With luck, the Japanese can become Honorary Chinese.