Last week saw Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop doing the rounds of North Asia with a week long visit to both Tokyo and Beijing. Given the state of Australia’s relations with both of these countries, the Tokyo leg of the journey went a lot more smoothly than that in Beijing. For instance, in their joint press conference both Kishida Fumio and Ms Bishop were able to point to the achievements in bilateral relations in the past year, and even found the time to announce another joint initiative for the Pacific region.  By way of contrast, the Beijing leg of the trip didn’t result in any new initiatives (apart from the launch of the New Colombo Plan, Australia’s attempt at developing regional awareness among its younger generations, in China), and ended in a swathe of controversy.

The joint press conference between Minister Bishop and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, although relatively cordial, clearly masked what appeared to be some seething Chinese resentment at Bishop’s comments in Tokyo and Australia’s position on The Philippines’ legal case against China’s territorial claims in the International Court of Justice.  The growing security relationship between Japan and Australia has not been commented on in public in great detail by China, but when asked by an ABC journalist (well done Bill Birtles!) about the possibility of Australia acquiring Japanese submarines, Minister Wang decided to give all present a reminder of Japan’s imperial past and how the people of Asia had not ‘forgotten’ what Japan did more than 70 years ago.

Minister Bishop was not prepared to be goaded into commentary against Japan nor to be put in the position of having to suddenly declare Australia’s affinity for China, so she reiterated comments she made earlier in the Japan Press Club on Tuesday – essentially, “Australia seeks to be the friend of everyone”.  It was a deft move, and one that won her admirers from among the Australian journalists assembled. Later, Bishop would state that for Australia, what occurred in the region over 70 years ago was in the past, and that Australia had ‘moved on’ in its relationship with both Germany and Japan. 

The implications of Minister Wang’s comments were clear, however. In a ham fisted way, Wang had declared China’s opposition to Australia acquiring any military technology from Japan, or even having a security relationship with Japan. While dismissing any concerns about such a relationship with his line about China’s rise being inevitable no matter if Australia obtains submarines from Japan, this comment in itself revealed much about what the Communist Party fears about the potential defence relationship between Japan and Australia.  Japan has the technical ability to challenge Chinese primacy in weaponry and asymmetric forms of warfare, and if it starts selling this technology abroad it will up the stakes for China in its push for domination of the security environment in the Western Pacific.

The thing is, the Communist Party of China is using megaphone diplomacy against Japan in an area where subtlety would be more effective.  By seeking to draw comparisons between Japan’s shift in its security position, which itself is a consequence of China’s shift in its emphasis on military power, and Japan as it existed more than half a century ago, Minister Wang really only demonstrated just how distorted the CCP`s version of history is and how jarring it is to hear this outside of China. Moreover, it is a self-defeating practice. By trying to intimidate Australia, China has given Australia a reason to adopt Japanese submarines so as not to be seen as caving in to Chinese pressure.
 
If China`s response to Australia`s actions is to try to humiliate our foreign minister whenever Ministers Wang and Bishop meet, there are going to be far fewer meetings between these two and a lot more animosity. It strengthens the argument that Australia would be far better off as part of a quadrilateral alliance relationship with India, the US, and Japan, and that it is pointless to try to forge closer ties with the CCP under Xi Jinping.

After yet another prolonged absence from updating this blog (believe me, I have every intention of updating it, but fate and other assorted nuisances get in the way), I wanted to touch upon an issue that has come to the surface in Japan in the past week – that of the arrest of former Yomiuri Giants and pro-league baseball player Kiyohara Kazuhiro on charges of possession of methamphetamines (J). For those who might not be familiar with Kiyohara’s work, I’ll provide a brief recap (courtesy of Wikipedia). 

Kiyohara, 48, is originally from Kishiwada City in Osaka Prefecture, and over his long career (22 years in the pro league, playing for Seibu Lions, the Giants, and then the Orix Buffalos) he established himself as a slugger, albeit one with some issues (his batting average over his career was .272, and he still leads the Japanese Professional Baseball League in the most strikeouts at 1955, and most hit by pitches at 196). 

Kiyohara’s reputation was cemented during his days playing for PL Gakuen High School, where over his three years at the school he appeared in 3 consecutive summer national high school baseball championships at Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture and hit a record 13 home runs, a feat that has yet to be equaled. Kiyohara was then directly drafted from high school into the Seibu Lions and made his debut for the team in 1986.

After retiring in 2008, Kiyohara used his celebrity status to pen articles for Nikkan Sports and made numerous television appearances on variety programs and in product commercials, while also lending his voice in the commentary box at various pro-league games. 

In 2014, the first signs of trouble emerged when the Shukan Bunshun magazine reported that Kiyohara had been suspected of indulging in illicit substances, quite possibly as a consequence of his attempting to deal with his Type-2 Diabetes for which he was hospitalized in early 2014. Kiyohara initiated legal proceedings against Shukan Bunshun, yet later dropped his libel case. While this was occurring, Kiyohara used his spare time to get tattoos on his shoulder and foot (which itself is a social taboo in Japan, and is a practice that it generally frowned upon).  Kiyohara’s erratic behaviour resulted in a divorce from his wife in September 2014, after which he lost custody of his two sons.

All this came to a head last week when Tokyo Metropolitan Police raided Kiyohara’s apartment and found 0.1gms of methamphetamine (which Kiyohara admitted was his) (J).  Kiyohara was arrested at the scene, not only for possession of narcotics but also on suspicion of having associated with organised criminals (the Metropolitan police apparently tracked Kiyohara to Gunma Prefecture the day before his arrest to confirm this and to trace the route of his drug supplies) (J).      
 
In many respects, this is yet another sad tale of a former sports legend falling on hard times after their retirement and, devoid of any set of skills apart from their sporting prowess, they find it especially difficult to adjust to a life out of the limelight.  Kiyohara had a fan following similar to that of Nagashima Shigeo (J), hence his fall from grace has hit many of his former teammates and friends (not to mention his fans) hard.

While it is not unusual for sports personalities to occasionally be their own worst enemy, in the case of Kiyohara it appears that his afflictions might stem from a deeper level of dissatisfaction and despair that he has yet to fully face.  It may be possible for Kiyohara to make a comeback, particularly to the world of either radio or television, but it will be a long, slow process, and he may not have the temperament for it.  The whole issue of illicit drug taking doesn’t help his case (this is in contrast to entertainers that have affairs. After a period of “remorse” (usually a year or so), they gradually start appearing on Japanese television once again, albeit as a source of mirth for their co-stars.)

It`s not too late, however, for Kiyohara to find redemption. The world of entertainment is a fickle thing, and Kiyohara`s former stature and popularity may serve him in good stead in the long run.