Election time coming up so of course South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun is turning to Japan bashing:

‘That Japan is in a position to take over Northeast Asia produces a feeling of insecurity,’ Mr Roh said.

‘For example, Japan’s attitude that South Korea is not a tough opponent because it is a small country. Or else it shows caution and distrust towards China, that in the future the two could have a hostile relationship,’ he added.

Japan is trying to enhance its international presence to match its economic might, but was forced to withdraw support for the US-led coalition in Afghanistan because of a domestic political dispute.

Regarding relations with South Korea, Mr Roh said Japan does not need to repeat apologies for its wartime aggression if it maintains pacifist policies towards its neighbours.

‘If Japan shows that it has the will to play a leadership role in world peace through reconciliation and cooperation, South Koreans’ attitude towards their past will soften and they will quickly forget the past,’ he said. [The Strait Times]

Two more months until Roh is gone which will unfortunately mean that half of my good blogging material will go with him with all the boneheaded comments he makes all the time.  I would love to hear Roh’s rationale that "Japan is in a position to take over Northeast Asia".  Is the mighty ROK Army that scared of these guys?:

Additionally what is Roh talking about with "Japan’s attitude that South Korea is not a tough opponent because it is a small country".  Not once have I heard any Japanese politician or military official claim this.  It seems like if a leader of a country is going to make such accusations shouldn’t they back it up with the name of somebody who said this?  The whole insinuation by Roh of a rising imperial Japan ready to take over northeast Asia is made to seem ridiculous in his own comments with the fact he mentions how the Japanese diet suspended military operations in support of NATO operations in Afghanistan. 

I would also like Roh to produce any time when the Japanese haven’t been playing a peaceful leadership role in the world.  There was that one time when the massive Japanese armada tried to invade Dokdo that it took the entire might of the Korean armed forces to repel, but besides that I can’t think of anything else where the Japanese haven’t played anything other than a peaceful role in the world.  These comments are especially ironic considering the growing arms race in northeast Asia led by the massive modernization of the Chinese military along with the North Korea nuclear test and firing of missiles at Japan, and South Korea’s very own large arms build up. 

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