Hisahiko Okazaki, former Japanese ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Thailand, wrote on Japan Times:
The balance of power over China today is comparable to the relationship between Britain and Germany exactly 100 years ago, the period that led to World War I. Germany’s economy grew rapidly after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, and the country overtook Britain in steel and other product manufacturing. After the establishment of the first Fleet Act in 1897, Germany’s naval power also rapidly closed in on Britain’s. Ten years later, around 1907, views of Germany as a threat abounded, just like views of China today. Wariness about Germany’s growing strength existed alongside hopes for its peaceful development, just like today’s wariness of China.
……How to deal with China’s ever growing presence in the world is the most vital issue for Japan’s national strategy of the 21st century. Other international issues are of far less concern regarding Japan’s security. [Full Text]
