Kosovo’s independence will impact on Japan

This commentary in the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun discusses Japan’s reaction to Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in 2008. Robert Dujarric notes that while many Western countries (the U.S., most of the EU) quickly recognized Kosovo, Japan was more cautious and delayed its recognition. He interprets this hesitancy as stemming from Tokyo’s wariness of encouraging separatist movements (given parallels some draw to places like Taiwan) and a desire not to antagonize Russia, which vehemently opposed Kosovo’s independence. However, Dujarric argues that such slowness had a cost: it projected an image of Japan as reactive and indecisive in supporting democratic aspirations.

He points out that Japan, as a major democracy, had an interest in aligning with the international community on issues of principle. By lagging, Tokyo risked appearing out of step and strengthening critics’ views that Japan isn’t ready to take bold stances in global security matters. The article suggests Japan should learn to be more assertive when values it espouses – like self-determination or humanitarian concern – are at play. The “impact” on Japan, then, is both reputational and strategic: how it handles cases like Kosovo influences its credibility and the expectations of its leadership in managing other international disputes.