DOWN WITH THE AUSTRALIA-JAPAN SECURITY PACT

Japan and Australia have just announced that they have signed a joint declaration on "security"

The "security" they are talking about is the security of US imperialism.

The overlords of the earth have come unstuck in Iraq and Afghanistan and are looking to farm out some of the responsibility for maintaining US global supremacy to those who are under its control (Australia) or benefiting, for the moment, from its military might (Japan).

Their much-vaunted "full spectrum dominance" was recently challenged by China’s demonstration of its ability to shoot down a satellite. "Full spectrum dominance" was originally coined by the United States Air Force to describe its goal of completely controlling outer space as a sphere for military operations, and then came to be used to describe its stated intention of crushing any opposition to, or independence from, its complete control of global resources, markets and investment opportunities.

It is the most naked expression of imperialist arrogance and bluster, and the Chinese literally shot it out of the skies.

By way of retaliation, US imperialism has decided to increase the antagonistic aspect of its contradiction with China. Hence the Australia-Japan joint declaration on "security".

The joint declaration is Japan’s first on military ties with a country other than the United States. Australia’s Prime Monster Howard has tried to ease Chinese concerns about the nature of the pact, denying that it is aimed at that country.

The signing of the agreement is likely to lead to intelligence sharing and the participation of Japanese troops in exercises on Australian soil. They could possibly participate in the Talisman Sabre exercise in Queensland, beginning in May and already scheduled to involve 20,000 US and Australian troops. If they do, it will boost the growing alliance of anti-imperialists, peace activists and environmentalists who are opposing these war games.

Other recent developments, which suggest a growing role for Australia and Japan in US plans to secure its interests in the East Asian region, include the announcement in February of a new US satellite base at Geraldton in WA. The base will be a critical link in a network of satellites that will enhance US combat communications and specifically, its ability to wage wars in the Middle East and Asia (see previous post:For Australian Independence - No More US Bases).

Visiting Fellow at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Philip Dorling, has stated that "once (the base is) operational, it would be almost impossible for Australia to be fully neutral or stand back from any war in which the US was involved."

Japan, for its part, upgraded its Defense Agency to full ministerial status in January, indicating a move away from the role assigned to its troops following the defeat of its aggressions in World War 2.

Both countries showed their closeness to the US by sending troops to support its illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Japan’s ground forces, which Australian troops had been protecting, were withdrawn last year, but air force personnel were left in Kuwait to transport supplies to US forces in Iraq.

These developments have been closely orchestrated by the US imperialists. Howard faces an election soon and his fortunes are fast fading, so he has to act fast to render his final services to his masters. One of those, US Vice-President Dick Cheney, recently "visited" (doesn’t that sound friendly!) Australia and Japan, and pushed for India to join the new "security arrangement" to "offset China’s emerging power". This was reported on Thursday 15 March by ninemsn staff under the heading "Australia security pact to encircle China".

Of course, a nation of 20 million people can’t physically encircle a nation of 1.3 billion, but Australia can host sophisticated US military bases like Pine Gap, and now Geraldton. It is small militarily, but has a large landmass to place at the disposal of the US imperialists and their militarist Japanese partners.

China’s reaction to these developments has been polite, but pointed.

Commenting on the same day, China’s PLA Daily saw the pact as "paving the way for more overseas deployment of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces in the future."

In response to Japanese and Australian assurances that the security pact does not target China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said he "hoped the Japanese and Australian leaders are true to their word."

The PLA Daily called on the two countries to "do things to promote the trust among countries in the region and refrain from doing anything which would harm regional peace and security."

The world’s people call for opposition to imperialism, for the revolutionary overthrow of capitalist regimes and say "Down with the Australia-Japan Security Pact!"