Japan embarrassed by defections

Press, 20 February 1980, Page 22

Japan embarrassed by defections

By

DONALD KIRK

in Tokyo

: The defection of two Bolshoi Ballet stars in Japan ■ brings to a climax a series of sensational episodes that have undermined the already strained relations between Tokyo and Moscow. Japanese officials were embarrassed by the timing of the defections, which came on the same day that the Governmer/. decided to 'protest against the Soviet Union’s role in running a military spy ring, broken last month with the arrest of a .retired ’-panese general -and two junior officers. 3 “Naturally, the Russians mav perceive some con- ... nection,” said one official; 3 'hfixious "ot to upset them ■' ' still" further, “I ‘ we could not imagine that anything of this sort would happen’. It : may be difficult to convince them.” The Japanese Government

may-now postpone its spy protest for fear the Russians • owill’accuse . pan of encour-■-v iagingV: the;. defections for -propaganda-purposes. The dancers, 70-year-old Siilamif Messerer and her ‘SPson, Mikhail, aged -31/ flew '■-f'tb’:New t February .6 after'rejecting the .entreaties

of Russian diplomats, permitted to interview them in the presence of Japanese diplomats and police officials. Japanese officials said the couple cut short the conversation after only six of seven minutes. “They said they ' had nothing more to say. There was no way the Russian officials could pressure them.” . The defections threaten to end a series of cultural exchanges between Japan and the Soviet Unioi.. Tokyo had hoped the < - Bolshoi tour, drawing capacity crowds everywhere, would soften the. impact, of .. . seemingly non-stop.; front-page reports in Japan of ■ problems, with the Russians.

Recently, for instance, the Defence Agency revealed that 10 Soviet warships were sailing through the Tsuhima. Strait, evidently on route to the. South China Sea off Vietnam. ..The agency emphasised' if Svbuld not try to close the strait jib Soviet ships except in time of war, but noted. it wgs . the largest number • of 'Rushan vessels for years, to pass through the strait at one <‘.ime.

Newspapers have also highlighted the deployment of Soviet. medium-range SS"' ballistic missiles and 10 supersonic t Backfire bombers in bases within easy range of Japan. The latter provoked a revealing series of comments by the new chief of the Defence Agency, Kichizo Hosoda, appointed on Sunday after his predecessor was forced to resign in the aftermath of the spy case. ' First Hosbda , told reporters the Soviet Union posed a “grave, threat.” Then, after consulting government leaders, he corrected the .comment to say the Russians were merely a “potential threat” — but that was still “grave and becoming serious.” , The semantic by-pjay underlined , Tokyo’s fear .of exacerbating relations with Moscow. “We would like to increase our friendly contacts.” said a government source. “These defections may be good propaganda for the United States, but they happened at a very difficult time for us.” — Copyright — London Observer Service.