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Japan-East Asia Relations

Freedom is a basic human right. There will be no human existence without freedom. Man and slavery, put together, is as good as human extinction. Freedom and democracy is never an invention of the West. A man, regardless of his nationality, will fight for his freedom and democracy. Even ethics, although different from country to country, still points out to human morality which can show democracy and freedom in a general point of view. Nowadays, despite apparently friendly and smooth relations between East Asian and Western countries, anti-Western sentiment is still ingrained into the political thinking of a part of the East Asian political elite. Moreover, the presence of Asian values is what these people are trying to show the West.

Asian Values
Values and virtues are the most important part of every human relation. For example, for a person to be accepted in a society, he must not be a deviant so as not to be cast out. Furthermore, a person learns during childhood the importance of knowing do’s and don’ts in wherever and whatever country he may be in. So, in our world, every person accepts a universal set of values which are accepted in different parts of the world. Although ethics in Asia is different from ethics in Europe, still, there are certain similarities which would not let a person be “looked-upon” badly by the other. However, in Japan, certain hypocrites who are very much excessive nationalists showed openly confrontational attitude toward the West. These people think that Asia should have their own set of values which are not influenced by the West. Still, as was presented earlier, they must think that there are values which are universal even if they imagine otherwise. These people believe that since Japan is the Super power of Asia, the continent must adapt to Japan’s planned policies. These new breed of leaders are seeking for more power and independence from the Western influence or supervision. They feel that they are being dictated by West.

Western Culture
In terms of culture, there may be some cultural decay in the West due to excessive wealth and economic progress and power. Still, the Westerners are still being depended upon by many continents in the world. For example, African continent, the Middle East, Russia, and many Asian countries depend highly on America and other European countries for basic commodities. In the world, we participate in a give and take relationship which is known in nature as mutualism. We depend on each other to live. We do not destroy each other to see who reigns supreme. Although America may rein supreme, leadership from the country and being a global aid are apparent. These Japanese dissenters hope for supremacy in global operations that is why they are trying to destroy the reputation of the West especially that of America.

Interferences
Although Asia has every right to scrutinize the West in terms of their interferences, still, Asian superpowers must reconsider. The Western continents have seen the dangers that certain top countries possess. The United Nations believe that Western interference is also necessary in the East. Why? Well, it is because of the fact that these top countries like Japan and China have their own “hidden agendas”. For example, During the Korean War, if America did not interfere, what would happen to South Korea? Of course, the people in that country would not be able to have their own freedom since we know that the North is a communist country. Another one is in Iraq. Could Japan do the same thing as what America did? Could Japan liberate the Iraqis Saddam Hussein? Japanese interference with other Asian country’s internal affairs really means something else. They must remember that they did something wrong to the World especially South Korea and the Philippines. Also, we must remember that Westerners have the capacity. On the contrary, Japan really does not have because they are trying to voice out that they are trying to occupy the country and take control.

Hypocrisy
A young nationalist, Fumimaro Konoe, wrote, “Western pacifism was nothing more than a hypocritical pose, a façade to conceal the injustice of the existing international order structured to benefit the West.” This statement was written before World War II. Well, speaking of hypocrisy, Japan joined Germany who tried to take over the World, and then was defeated during the war. Mr. Fumimaro Konoe killed himself after the war. Who is the “hypocrite” now? In addition, a high-ranking Chinese Government officer asserted, “While launching a loud human rights crusade against other countries in the world, the United States is turning a blind eye to its own serious human rights violations. This only serves to prove the US hypocrisy in its so-called concern for human rights.” Such statement is void – a mere justification to be exact. In China, people do not receive what they deserve. Women are treated like dogs and children as garbage. Although there are many people in their country, still, they are suffering. They do not eat properly. So, again, who is the hypocrite?

Conclusion
Though it is true that Asia must have its own core values, the fact that there exist universal values which are true for all the continents in the world is always there. These core values are embedded in every human being. The West is the first continent to publish and promulgate these important universal values. Asia should be content with what our world has; anyway, our main goal is to have a unified world which is why we have the United Nations, right?