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[ASIA NEWS]
ASIA NEWS SEPTEMBER 3, 2009, 11:46 A.M. ET
Hatoyama Reassures U.S. on Ties
By ALISON TUDOR and YUKA HAYASHI
TOKYO -- Incoming Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama moved to assure the U.S. that the relationship between the two nations remains a strong one, an apparent attempt to calm nervousness among some foreign policy experts in Washington over a possible policy shift.
Mr. Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obama spoke via phone on Wednesday U.S. time, agreeing to build an "even more effective relationship," the White House said in a statement.
On Thursday, he met with John Roos, the new U.S. ambassador to Japan, for the first time since his Democratic Party of Japan swept into office in a landslide election Sunday. In both conversations, he stressed the importance of the U.S.-Japanese alliance.
"The Japan-U.S. alliance is the axis of Japan's foreign policies," Mr. Hatoyama told Mr. Roos during the meeting, according to a statement from the Japanese leader's office. "We would like to further enhance the Japan-U.S. relationship."
Many observers of U.S.-Japan relations don't expect major changes but see the potential for subtle shifts. "We've got an unparalleled opportunity here for the US and Japan to sit down and freshen up their alliance within the framework of the old," said Walter Mondale, the former U.S. vice president and Democratic presidential candidate, who was an ambassador to Japan during the Clinton administration.
He added, "This would be a good time to look at the relationship with fresh eyes."
As Mr. Hatoyama prepares to take office on Sep. 16, Washington faces the challenge of cultivating fresh ties with the untested DPJ after over five decades of dealing with the Liberal Democratic Party, a staunch ally with conservative policies.
The DPJ has kept U.S. policy experts on alert with its proposals to renegotiate the terms of the U.S. military presence in Japan and to discontinue Japan's refueling of U.S. warships in the Indian Ocean to support the war in Afghanistan. In its campaign policy pledge, the party said it would seek a "close and equal" relationship with the U.S., a statement largely interpreted as its desire to reduce Japan's reliance on their bilateral national security alliance.
Speaking to reporters after his call with Mr. Obama, Mr. Hatoyama said he assured the president the U.S.-Japan alliance is the "foundation" of Japan's foreign policy.
The White House said the two leaders also agreed to work together on various areas including strengthen global economic recovery, combat climate change, ensure the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and defeat al Qaeda.
Mr. Mondale said the dialogue between the two new administrations could make progress in resolving some lingering issues between the two.
For example, it could lead to a resolution to a 1995 agreement between the two to move a U.S. military base on Okinawa to another part of the island. The move has been delayed for years, some Japanese residents there want the base moved altogether. "It's now 14 years later and I believe it's time for the sides to sit down and resolve this issue," said Mr. Mondale, who was involved in the original negotiations.
Mr. Hatoyama made a rocky debut in the eyes of some foreign policy experts in the U.S. Some pointed to an essay he wrote that appeared in a Japanese journal last month, in which he described Japan at one point as a victim of U.S.-led market fundamentalism. The essay was later translated and printed in U.S. publications.
"That was a huge mistake to publish that piece," said Gerald Curtis, professor of Japanese politics at Columbia University. "I hope he will learn his lesson and that we'll see a much more sensible position."
Mr. Hatoyama's camp has said excerpts were taken out of context, and a DPJ spokeswoman said Thursday that the matter hadn't hurt relations and had been blown out of proportion.
Mr. Mondale said the dialogue between the two new administrations may lead to changes that strengthen their relationship.
"The tone of the relationship needs to be carefully tended to," he said. "I think sometimes when there are tensions in the world, we're not too careful about how abrupt we are in this alliance. It would be good at this time to refresh the relationship and make it clear that the Japanese will get the elbow room they desire."
—Daisuke Wakabayashi and Miho Inada contributed to this article.
[ASIA NEWS]
ASIA NEWS SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
Strategist Rises in Japan Power Shift
By YUKA HAYASHI
TOKYO -- The election victory of Japan's main opposition party will bring many new faces to a long-staid political scene, a change that will give considerable clout to a familiar figure: Ichiro Ozawa, who led the party until May and helped to orchestrate its rise.
The Democratic Party of Japan captured the lower house of parliament Sunday in part because of the strategies of Mr. Ozawa, 67 years old, who now works as a top aide to party leader and likely new prime minister Yukio Hatoyama.
"In effect, this is going to be an Ozawa administration," says Eiken Itagaki, a political analyst who has written several books on the DPJ and Mr. Ozawa. "Mr. Hatoyama and other leaders will be obliged to listen to what he wants."
Mr. Ozawa's aide referred questions to a DPJ spokesman, who said he had no comment.
With the backing of many DPJ loyalists, Mr. Ozawa will have a strong chance of implementing policies he has long promoted, including lessening Japan's traditional reliance on the U.S. and implementing costly social programs such as an allowance to all families with children.
Some analysts say Mr. Ozawa should be given an important cabinet position to dispel any impression that he is running the show from behind the scenes.
He may prefer to stay offstage, however. "Mr. Ozawa will probably want to forgo a formal position in the cabinet and focus on preparations for the upper-house elections [in July]," says Fusao Ushiro, a political-science professor at Nagoya University. "Becoming a prime minister isn't his ambition, even down the road."
Mr. Ozawa stepped down as DPJ president in May after his top aide was indicted for violating political fund-raising rules, though he denied wrongdoing. But he has remained key to the party's election planning. He picked a number of Sunday's victorious candidates, trained them and matched them with opponents in ways that played up their strengths and stirred voter interest, political analysts said.
Young social activists often were thrown after incumbents. In a Tokyo district, Ai Aoki, a 44-year-old former day-care teacher, successfully took on Akihiro Ota, the 63-year-old head of New Party Komei, the coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. In Gifu, in central Japan, Masanao Shibahashi, a 30-year-old former bank loan officer, ran against with Seiko Noda, 48, one of the two female ministers in outgoing Prime Minister Taro Aso's cabinet.
The DPJ was already expected to perform strongly against the LDP, which has dominated Japanese politics for decades and presided over a long economic decline and suffered from a number of political scandals. Still, analysts said about 70 of the 193 seats it gained in the lower house came in part from Mr. Ozawa's guidance.
"When it comes to election strategies, no one in Japanese politics comes even close to Mr. Ozawa," said Hirotada Asakawa, an analyst who has written books about Mr. Ozawa.
Takatane Kiuchi, who defeated an LDP incumbent in Tokyo Sunday, prepared for the elections under Mr. Ozawa's guidance. "People call him 'god of elections' but a lot of what he says is quite basic," says the 43-year-old former investment banker who once worked for Merrill Lynch. "He tells you to greet voters at train stations every morning and visit community leaders frequently."
Mr. Kiuchi said his goal as a politician is to help rebuild Japan's semiconductor industry through public funds and restructuring. "When you are a newcomer with no baggage on your back, you can do a whole lot," he says.
The Japanese media have nicknamed the newly elected lawmakers "Ozawa children," a reference to "Koizumi children," a group of young politicians mentored by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi who were swept to office in the last lower-house election in 2005. Most of them were defeated by DPJ candidates in the latest elections.
Mr. Ozawa started out as a conservative politician who over decades gained influence within the LDP. He left the party in 1993 amid an internal power struggle, and helped form a coalition government made up of small parties. That government lasted only 11 months before the LDP returned to power.
In 2003, Mr. Ozawa joined the DPJ and soon became its leader. He led the party to a victory in upper-house elections in 2007, accelerating the LDP's decline.
[ASIA NEWS]
ASIA NEWS SEPTEMBER 3, 2009, 11:46 A.M. ET
Hatoyama Reassures U.S. on Ties
By ALISON TUDOR and YUKA HAYASHI
TOKYO -- Incoming Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama moved to assure the U.S. that the relationship between the two nations remains a strong one, an apparent attempt to calm nervousness among some foreign policy experts in Washington over a possible policy shift.
Mr. Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obama spoke via phone on Wednesday U.S. time, agreeing to build an "even more effective relationship," the White House said in a statement.
On Thursday, he met with John Roos, the new U.S. ambassador to Japan, for the first time since his Democratic Party of Japan swept into office in a landslide election Sunday. In both conversations, he stressed the importance of the U.S.-Japanese alliance.
"The Japan-U.S. alliance is the axis of Japan's foreign policies," Mr. Hatoyama told Mr. Roos during the meeting, according to a statement from the Japanese leader's office. "We would like to further enhance the Japan-U.S. relationship."
Many observers of U.S.-Japan relations don't expect major changes but see the potential for subtle shifts. "We've got an unparalleled opportunity here for the US and Japan to sit down and freshen up their alliance within the framework of the old," said Walter Mondale, the former U.S. vice president and Democratic presidential candidate, who was an ambassador to Japan during the Clinton administration.
He added, "This would be a good time to look at the relationship with fresh eyes."
As Mr. Hatoyama prepares to take office on Sep. 16, Washington faces the challenge of cultivating fresh ties with the untested DPJ after over five decades of dealing with the Liberal Democratic Party, a staunch ally with conservative policies.
The DPJ has kept U.S. policy experts on alert with its proposals to renegotiate the terms of the U.S. military presence in Japan and to discontinue Japan's refueling of U.S. warships in the Indian Ocean to support the war in Afghanistan. In its campaign policy pledge, the party said it would seek a "close and equal" relationship with the U.S., a statement largely interpreted as its desire to reduce Japan's reliance on their bilateral national security alliance.
Speaking to reporters after his call with Mr. Obama, Mr. Hatoyama said he assured the president the U.S.-Japan alliance is the "foundation" of Japan's foreign policy.
The White House said the two leaders also agreed to work together on various areas including strengthen global economic recovery, combat climate change, ensure the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and defeat al Qaeda.
Mr. Mondale said the dialogue between the two new administrations could make progress in resolving some lingering issues between the two.
For example, it could lead to a resolution to a 1995 agreement between the two to move a U.S. military base on Okinawa to another part of the island. The move has been delayed for years, some Japanese residents there want the base moved altogether. "It's now 14 years later and I believe it's time for the sides to sit down and resolve this issue," said Mr. Mondale, who was involved in the original negotiations.
Mr. Hatoyama made a rocky debut in the eyes of some foreign policy experts in the U.S. Some pointed to an essay he wrote that appeared in a Japanese journal last month, in which he described Japan at one point as a victim of U.S.-led market fundamentalism. The essay was later translated and printed in U.S. publications.
"That was a huge mistake to publish that piece," said Gerald Curtis, professor of Japanese politics at Columbia University. "I hope he will learn his lesson and that we'll see a much more sensible position."
Mr. Hatoyama's camp has said excerpts were taken out of context, and a DPJ spokeswoman said Thursday that the matter hadn't hurt relations and had been blown out of proportion.
Mr. Mondale said the dialogue between the two new administrations may lead to changes that strengthen their relationship.
"The tone of the relationship needs to be carefully tended to," he said. "I think sometimes when there are tensions in the world, we're not too careful about how abrupt we are in this alliance. It would be good at this time to refresh the relationship and make it clear that the Japanese will get the elbow room they desire."
—Daisuke Wakabayashi and Miho Inada contributed to this article.
[ASIA NEWS]
ASIA NEWS SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
Strategist Rises in Japan Power Shift
By YUKA HAYASHI
TOKYO -- The election victory of Japan's main opposition party will bring many new faces to a long-staid political scene, a change that will give considerable clout to a familiar figure: Ichiro Ozawa, who led the party until May and helped to orchestrate its rise.
The Democratic Party of Japan captured the lower house of parliament Sunday in part because of the strategies of Mr. Ozawa, 67 years old, who now works as a top aide to party leader and likely new prime minister Yukio Hatoyama.
"In effect, this is going to be an Ozawa administration," says Eiken Itagaki, a political analyst who has written several books on the DPJ and Mr. Ozawa. "Mr. Hatoyama and other leaders will be obliged to listen to what he wants."
Mr. Ozawa's aide referred questions to a DPJ spokesman, who said he had no comment.
With the backing of many DPJ loyalists, Mr. Ozawa will have a strong chance of implementing policies he has long promoted, including lessening Japan's traditional reliance on the U.S. and implementing costly social programs such as an allowance to all families with children.
Some analysts say Mr. Ozawa should be given an important cabinet position to dispel any impression that he is running the show from behind the scenes.
He may prefer to stay offstage, however. "Mr. Ozawa will probably want to forgo a formal position in the cabinet and focus on preparations for the upper-house elections [in July]," says Fusao Ushiro, a political-science professor at Nagoya University. "Becoming a prime minister isn't his ambition, even down the road."
Mr. Ozawa stepped down as DPJ president in May after his top aide was indicted for violating political fund-raising rules, though he denied wrongdoing. But he has remained key to the party's election planning. He picked a number of Sunday's victorious candidates, trained them and matched them with opponents in ways that played up their strengths and stirred voter interest, political analysts said.
Young social activists often were thrown after incumbents. In a Tokyo district, Ai Aoki, a 44-year-old former day-care teacher, successfully took on Akihiro Ota, the 63-year-old head of New Party Komei, the coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. In Gifu, in central Japan, Masanao Shibahashi, a 30-year-old former bank loan officer, ran against with Seiko Noda, 48, one of the two female ministers in outgoing Prime Minister Taro Aso's cabinet.
The DPJ was already expected to perform strongly against the LDP, which has dominated Japanese politics for decades and presided over a long economic decline and suffered from a number of political scandals. Still, analysts said about 70 of the 193 seats it gained in the lower house came in part from Mr. Ozawa's guidance.
"When it comes to election strategies, no one in Japanese politics comes even close to Mr. Ozawa," said Hirotada Asakawa, an analyst who has written books about Mr. Ozawa.
Takatane Kiuchi, who defeated an LDP incumbent in Tokyo Sunday, prepared for the elections under Mr. Ozawa's guidance. "People call him 'god of elections' but a lot of what he says is quite basic," says the 43-year-old former investment banker who once worked for Merrill Lynch. "He tells you to greet voters at train stations every morning and visit community leaders frequently."
Mr. Kiuchi said his goal as a politician is to help rebuild Japan's semiconductor industry through public funds and restructuring. "When you are a newcomer with no baggage on your back, you can do a whole lot," he says.
The Japanese media have nicknamed the newly elected lawmakers "Ozawa children," a reference to "Koizumi children," a group of young politicians mentored by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi who were swept to office in the last lower-house election in 2005. Most of them were defeated by DPJ candidates in the latest elections.
Mr. Ozawa started out as a conservative politician who over decades gained influence within the LDP. He left the party in 1993 amid an internal power struggle, and helped form a coalition government made up of small parties. That government lasted only 11 months before the LDP returned to power.
In 2003, Mr. Ozawa joined the DPJ and soon became its leader. He led the party to a victory in upper-house elections in 2007, accelerating the LDP's decline.
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