On the 22nd, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released 18 diplomatic documents with more than 7,300 pages to the public. Among them is the “Gulf Crisis” that occurred after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. Especially as the possibility of a war with the United States increased, the Saddam Hussein administration took hostages from Western countries and Japanese business people and tried to avoid the attack. 213 Japanese were taken hostage, but it was former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone who negotiated the release. Mr. Nakasone played a central role in the establishment of the “Japan Iraqi Parliamentary Friendship League” and had a meeting with President Hussein during his time as Minister of International Trade and Industry. The meeting was held on November 4, 1990.
Mr. Nakasone, who is known as a hawkish reformist, persuaded President Hussein by emphasizing that Japan is a peaceful nation.
“This case has the potential to expand global disaster, and I observe the situation is tense and dangerous. If the war begins, it will be irreparable and will lead to human misery. As a peaceful nation, Japan wants to make efforts for a peaceful solution. “
Mr. Nakasone also concealed that he was a constitutional amendmentist, denied the possibility of constitutional amendment in Japan, and emphasizes that the Self-Defense Forces could not participate in the battle due to constitutional restrictions. At this time, President Bush of the United States said in a meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Kaifu in New York in September 1990, “I understand that Japan is considering ways to involve the military in international efforts in the Middle East. There was a strong demand for the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces from the US government, such Bush’s statement as “It is useful and will be appreciated by the world” and “I hope that Japan’s contribution will be made without delay” (from NNN), but Mr. Nakasone said as follows.
“There is some misunderstanding about Japan’s position, so I would like to correct it. There is no constitutional amendment, and there is no possibility. It does not involve the Self-Defense Forces in the battle.”
He also felt that there was a high possibility of a war, and is trying to persuade Iraq to escape the destruction of the war from the experience of Japan’s defeat.
“I’m afraid the possibility of war will be extremely high from the end of November to December. I never want to see the destruction of this magnificent country that your president has worked hard to build after the revolution. We are painfully aware of the misery of the war from the experience of the Pacific War, and we are worried about that as well. “
The Arab League had also proposed a solution to the Gulf Crisis within the Arab region. It seems that Mr. Nakasone had the idea that robbing the United States of an excuse for attacking on Iraq was the way to avoid the war, and in that sense, Mr. Nakasone’s remarks next made a good understanding of how to resolve the situation peacefully, and Nakasone thought that the United States wanted a war.
“I would like to see a new initiative that can be taken to a rational solution in the Arab world. At the same time, it will not give the United States and other countries an excuse to use force. The United States is now having a big nightmare. I often see articles about watching, which is a nightmare that the United States loses the excuse to use force as Iraq withdraws from Kuwait. “
As a result of Mr. Nakasone’s persuasion, 74 Japanese hostages returned to Japan on November 8. In a dictatorship like Iraq, persuading President Hussein was especially important for the liberation of hostages. Japan’s war experience was persuasive, and the rational logic must have convinced President Hussein. Mr. Nakasone must have well understood that from his experience as Minister of International Trade and Industry the Gulf region was particularly important for Japan’s economic security. When Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe arbitrated the peace of the Iran-Iraq War in 1983 and actually visited these two countries, Iraq was the largest investment destination for Japanese companies in the world, and Iraq is an important country for Japan. was. If President Hussein had avoided the war by withdrawing Iraqi troops from Kuwait according to Mr. Nakasone’s logic, it is clear that there was no current confusion in Iraq such as the birth and activities of IS (“Islamic State”).
Featured image from 中曽根ｖｓフセイン 緊迫のイラク 人質解放交渉秘録 外交文書 | NHK政治マガジン
コメント