América Latina: ¿clase media de las naciones?

Amerka 'is about. 8.2%, while the. ratio' of the expol't, Japan sharing in the whoJ.e eXport ofLatih America ,js 3.8% (Table D & E); , The Table B show$ that the ímportance of Latin· America as a trading partner for Japan has become increased in recent years. The direct inyestment Japanput in Latin Amedca ,reached at the peak in 1913, amounting to$ 822.000.000 and then took a decHningcourse owing to the oi! shock. There is, however, an indkation that Japan has revived her interest in investíng ca.pital for the economk ,deve– lopment of this region (Table F). (3) JAPANESE OPTIONS. IN THE 1980'S Japan occup~es a unique position in the international community with her denial of becominga military big power in. disregard of the ~izable economic strimgth she has enjoyed. Qne l11ight say that there 15 an ambivalence in .the attitude ()f the Japanese people toward the problem oE national identity in the international community. Should sheshare common inter,ests with the western industriatlzed countries, in particular with the United States? 01' should she find her identi– fication with the nations in Asia? Are there any options opeoing for her to serve as a mediating ,actor hetweeri the western' nations and the third world? Having these problems in mind, 1 wiH try to present several sce– narios for options oi Japan~. diplomacy in tJ::¡e 1980's: . 1) Allianee withthe United State.s The security ar,rangement with the UnítedStates has been the COt– ner stone foc Japanese postwar diplomacy which enabled her to move ón the road of economíc development and'expansíon.. Japan has a.l~o heavi1y relíed upon the United States in her tradíng activítíes;the total sum of trade between the tWQ nations is likely to reach to the amount oE more than 30 billions ¿oHars this year, óccupying· about 20% of the whole tra¿e of Japan. Gíven no drastic· change on th~ domes tic política! scene, the pattern of cIose relations between the two nations will sustain, although Japa,n is becoming less depen¿ent upon the United States in various activities. . 2) Trilateralism Japan has increasingly identified herself with the community of thc highly 'industrialized countries. Confronted with thesustaining de– pression since the 011 shock and facing the competition from the late. 59