Japan-U.S. involvement vital in South China Sea

Tetsuya Mizuno

Small landing ships with doctors, nurses and medical equipment on board left the U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force transport ship Kunisaki, which were at anchor in waters off Qui Nhon, Vietnam. The vessels came alongside the pier one after another at the port city.

At a temporary medical and dental clinic established at a nearby school, people waited in a long line from early in the morning. Many of them were badly in need of dental treatment due to lack of money to see dentists.

"I was very impressed with the way people smiled as they received treatment," a senior Self-Defense Forces officer said.

In the aftermath of devastating damage caused by the 2004 earthquake off Sumatra, Indonesia, the U.S. military launched the Pacific Partnership humanitarian assistance program in 2007, visiting countries in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.

In the fourth annual mission this year, the MSDF dispatched a transport vessel for the first time and provided medical services to local residents in Vietnam and Cambodia for about a month in June.

About 30 MSDF doctors and nurses slept in the transport vessel and provided medical treatment to about 4,500 people in cooperation with members of nongovernmental organizations.

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama named the initiative "yuai boto" (fraternity boat). SDF officers and NGO members work together in the medical, dental and engineering outreach project. But the program is not only designed to promote humanitarian assistance.

The June mission took place in the South China Sea, which is regarded as a key area for maritime transportation. In recent years, the area has become a stage of territorial disputes.

China, Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries have competing claims of sovereignty over islands in the sea. In recent years, China has been stepping up its effective control of the sea, arguing it must protect its fishing boats.

China has built a large submarine base on Hainan Island in the sea. Besides, Chinese newspapers reported in early July that large Chinese Navy warships conducted a military exercise in the sea.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized China's naval buildup in the area at the annual Asia Security Summit in Singapore on June 5. Gates is increasingly wary of the situation in the area."The South China Sea is an area of growing concern," he said.

A senior official of the Japanese Defense Ministry says the U.S. forces continue to give humanitarian assistance in the area to ensure U.S. influence in view of China's growing presence there.

When the United States closed its navy base in the Philippines in the 1990s, U.S. forces lost their foothold in the South China Sea.

For Japan, the area serves as part of an important sea-lane. Japan decided to dispatch its own ship for the June mission, believing that regional stability serves its own national interest.

But a Chinese weekly magazine specializing in international affairs criticized the latest activity, calling it a military drill.

"In the near future, Japanese and U.S. warships will regularly conduct drills in the South China Sea," said the International Herald Leader, published by Xinhua News Agency.

But the Defense Ministry official said the mission will benefit other countries facing the South China Sea.

"Vietnam and other countries along the South China Sea are carefully watching China," the official said. "These countries must be relieved by the commitment Japan and the United States have shown to the area."

Of course, the program is not only meant to check China's advance into the sea.

The partnership program effectively served as an ideal Japan-U.S. joint exercise for large-scale natural disasters. Kunisaki's landing ships transported goods from the Mercy, which anchored far off the coast as it was unable to enter the shallow port.

"The dispatch of the transport ship enabled us to carry out fruitful training," the senior SDF officer said.

China is building up its naval might, attempting to expand its presence in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. The reality is far from the "sea of fraternity" idea advocated by Hatoyama.

However, if Japan continues to take part in the aid program, it will certainly be able to solidify its relationship with Southeast Asian countries.

Above all, disaster-relief activities are one of Japan's specialties. The MSDF must continue the mission next year and onward.