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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, FEBRUARY 12, 1982
PAGE 10
the five strategic choke points of the world, besides Gibraltar, Suez,
Pan�ma and the Cape of Good Hope. 1'hey must never become 'chokable' by the
Soviets."
The CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, in an article datelined from Malacca, Malay
sia, on October 9, 1980 reported this concerning the vital Malacca sea gate
area: "Over and over again Chinese spokesmen declare the Soviet Union must
be blocked from its plans to seize control of the strait. If Vietnam backed
by the Soviet Union consolidates control of Cambodia, they charge, the
Soviet Union will be encouraged to construct a naval stranglehold on the
oil-tanker clogged strait that connects the Indian Ocean with the South
China Sea."
No one is more concerned about a Soviet chokehold on the Strait of Malacca
than the Japanese.
The passageway is the eritical bottleneck on the
oceanic "pipeline" that transports Middle East oil to their industries.
Japan, of course, is the giant machine that, as long as it keeps humming
along, guarantees the prosperity of all of free Asia. Yet, because of the
bitter memories of World war II, Japan's trading partners still want Japan
to keep its distance too, at least militarily. As Prime Minister Lee puts
it: "Economically, Japan is playing an important and constructive role in
this region. The buoyant Japanese economy acts as a locomotive, pulling up
the economies of the countries of southeast Asia. Japan buys considerable
quantities of raw materials and assembly-manufactured products from our
region. We, of course, welcome that.
"A few countries in the region may be apprehensive that Japan may play too
active a military role in Southeast Asian waters again. Their memories of
World War II are still strong. So long as Japan confines herself to a naval
role in the Western Pacific and the northern part of the China Sea and does
not include Southeast Asia in her patrols, I see no cause for concern."
The key to Japan "keeping her place" is, once again, regional confidence in
U.S. military power. Without it--look out!
Concludes Singapore
1
s Lee:
"In the longer term, if the U.S. cannot maintain her world position as
anchor man of the non-Communist world and cannot sustain Japan's confidence
that America is a totally dependable ally when a grave threat appears, !
fear Japan will .9..2 in for total self-defense, which must logically include
nuclear weapons. That would not be in the interest of world peace and
stability."
Sooner or later, a nuclear-armed Japan must appear on the scene, as loathe
some as that prospect would be to the vast majority of Japanese today.
--Gene H. Hogberg, News Bureau