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TOKYO: The attacks against Saudi Arabia caught all the attention at the G1 World Conference in Tokyo, but the day of reflection in Tokyo was more than just a survey of titles and events. the dramatic images that dominated the weekend media.
The event is in its ninth year and takes the form of a conference of world leaders entirely in English on the major themes of international affairs, business, culture and society from a Japanese perspective.
One of the organizers dubbed it the "Davos of Tokyo" and although it may not have lived up to the famous Swiss alpine rally in numbers and glamor, the event on 16 September certainly rivals him with the scale and ambition of his agenda.
Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, set the bar very high in an opening address in which he declared that it was the "mission of Japan" to lead the world to restore a transparent international order and rules-based that has been weakened by populist waves. in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.
On the theme of "sustainable innovation in times of disruption", the G1 followed a familiar pattern of plenary sessions, workshops, workshops and networking, in the functional environment of Globis University at the center. Tokyo city. What he lacked in alpine splendor, it was largely outweighed by the convenience of a one day conference.
But first, the weekend news stole the show at the opening plenary and was an elephant in the room for the rest of the day.
Taro Kono, the Japanese defense minister, said the attacks on Saudi oil facilities and the threat to global oil fueled the "worst case scenario" in the world today.
He was seconded by John Chipman, chief executive of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, who criticized the failure of the United States and its allies in the Middle East and elsewhere to counteract the situation. Iranian expansion in the region.
"The strategic response to this issue has not been duly taken into account and now, the main strategic asset of Saudi Arabia has been attacked," he said.
Attacks on Saudi oil facilities also featured prominently in a subsequent closed-door session under the Chatham House rule, during which security experts debated the origins and timing of the attacks. impact of attacks, including the appropriate level of response from Saudi Arabia and its neighbors. allies.
Chipman also spoke frankly about the US-China confrontation over trade, technology and the digital agenda. "The United States and the West are just becoming aware of China's strategic rivalry," he said.
Referring to the Soviet space launch in the 1950s that dragged the United States into a space race with the USSR, Chipman said: "China wants a unipolar Asia in a multipolar world, which is a moment of "Sputnik" for Americans, "he said. .
There was a skepticism that US President Donald Trump was the man to lead an effective rules-based order against Chinese expansion.
Mieko Nakabayashi, social science professor at Waseda University, who spent many years in Washington's corridors of power, said, "Many people say that Trump is a disaster, but he also has a lot of supporters . He could win the elections next year, which would make four years very adventurous. "
Given the location and focus of the event in East Asia, China's threat and its relations with neighbors such as Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asian countries have been recurring themes of the day.
A session entitled "Geo-Politics: The American-Chinese Hegemony in Asia" brought together two experts from both sides of the issue. Abraham Denmark, US director of the Asia program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said the United States was at the heart of the biggest foreign policy debate since the end of the cold war.
Although recent polls suggest that a large number of Americans still support an active US role in global commerce and business, it was also evident that the old rules of engagement with the rest of the world were no longer sufficient.
"We used to believe that engaging with China was a good thing in itself. We must now find a balance between competition and cooperation, and will only cooperate on issues of mutual interest, "said Denmark.
Zha Daojiong, of the School of International Studies of Peking University, said that there had been a "positive momentum" in recent weeks, with both parties withdrawing from the rising tariffs, adding, "What is the antagonism between China and the United States? It's about primacy and someone must be number one. They are like two 800-pound gorillas going up and down under their own weight. "
Lynn Kuok, from IISS, presented the Southeast Asian perspective. "Trump's insistence on the other countries' ban on Huawei means that the United States says" you have to choose between the United States and China, "but that should not be a choice between two countries, but between rules and non-rule-based orders. "
The session was transformed into a barbed exchange between the American and Chinese representatives. "If you grant a technology to Huawei, you must assume that this will end up with the People's Liberation Army," said Denmark, which also complained of subsidies from the Chinese state to businesses.
Zha Daojiong responded by alleging subsidies to US defense equipment manufacturers, such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin. "Where is the state and where is the company with them," he said. Dealing with US financial policy, he said: "Negative interest rates are not very capitalistic."
G1, however, was not just about high geopolitical issues. Progress in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the areas of environment, social responsibility and corporate governance has been an important theme.
Gender equality was also on the agenda. Kathy Matsui, chief strategist for Japan at Goldman Sachs, presented a recent study showing a direct link between economic growth and greater participation of women in the global workforce. "I believe that if you reduce the gender gap, you could actually increase global GDP by $ 5 trillion," she said.
The Tokyo meeting also focused on events that will put Japan in the spotlight and boost tourism. The Rugby World Cup kicks off next week and the country hosts the Olympics in 2020.
During a session entitled "How to evolve towards a unique and sustainable tourism superpower", the experts discussed Japan's ambitious plans to increase the number of international visitors and encourage them to spend more during their holidays. The government wants 40 million visitors next year.
About 75% of foreign visitors to Japan come from four Asian countries – China, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong – and the government would like to attract more Americans, Europeans and Australians, who tend to stay longer and spend more.
This year, the number of Korean tourists is expected to fall by 30%, with Japan and South Korea fighting over a trade dispute triggered by events dating back to the Second World War.
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