U.S. strikes against Iran create dilemma for Japan
After criticizing Israel's attacks on Iran, Japan would have been accused of adopting a double standard if it did not decry the U.S.' actions. But criticizing the United States poses a risk of damaging the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Faced with this dilemma, Japan has opted to express a certain level of understanding for the U.S.' actions.
Immediately reacting to Israel's preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear and military facilities on June 13, the Japanese government said that it "strongly condemns" Israel based on its principle of upholding the rule of law.
Tokyo chose stronger language than its Group of Seven peers, given that it had criticized China's assertive actions as a unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force.
The U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday put Japan on the spot. The U.N. Charter bans the use of force with only a few exceptions, such as acts taken in self-defense.
Although Washington said that it exercised its right to collective self-defense, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said, "That is a difficult point to make in terms of international law."
If Japan had gone out to publicly question the lack of reasoning under international law, such actions would have displeased U.S. President Donald Trump, possibly causing the two countries' ties to slump.
Tokyo finally came up with a foreign minister's statement Monday, saying, "Japan understands that the U.S. action demonstrates its determination to de-escalate the situation while preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons."
In the statement, Tokyo neither supported nor decried the U.S. move.
"We can't possibly tell the United States, our ally, that there are international law-related concerns," a senior Foreign Ministry official said.
Asked about the legal assessment of the U.S. attacks, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a news conference Monday, "I know there are various arguments from the viewpoint of international law."
"Our country is not directly involved in the matter," he also said. "It's hard to give a definite assessment."
Since Trump has made statements perceived as lacking respect for international law, such as repeatedly expressing hope that his country will annex Greenland, the Japanese government is seen continuing to find itself torn between the Japan-U.S. alliance and upholding the rule of law.
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