FOCUS: Kan expected to mend U.S. ties, avoid controversy with Asian neighbors+

TOKYO, June 4 Kyodo -
In the aftermath of a Japan-U.S. base row delivering the death blow to the
government led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, his successor Naoto Kan's
first priority in the area of diplomacy is probably to restore confidence in
bilateral relations by adhering to a fresh accord on the base relocation.
The new prime minister, who will likely make his diplomatic debut next week
with his visit to the World Expo in Shanghai, is also expected to assure China,
South Korea and other Asian neighbors that Tokyo intends to maintain smooth
ties with them as Kan has vowed to inherit Hatoyama's initiative of creating an
East Asian community.
Only a few weeks after Tuesday's expected launch of his government, Kan will
likely join other leaders of the Group of Eight at a meeting in Canada,
becoming the fourth straight Japanese leader to participate in the annual
summit as a ''newcomer.''
With his diplomatic expertise largely unknown, Kan is advised to learn lessons
from Hatoyama's debacle over the transfer of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air
Station and try to decide by late August details such as the location and
construction methods of the replacement facility as agreed with the United
States, observers say.
Although Kan served as deputy premier in the Hatoyama Cabinet, he had distanced
himself from the base issue in Okinawa. After being elected as leader of the
ruling Democratic Party of Japan on Friday, he vowed to honor the fresh
Japan-U.S. accord released on May 28 and make ''long-lasting efforts'' to ease
base-hosting burdens on Okinawans.
A Foreign Ministry official has aired concerns that the change of Japanese
leadership could delay the bilaterally agreed- on Futenma relocation process,
which is linked to the planned transfer of about 8,000 Marines in Okinawa to
the U.S. territory of Guam by 2014.
A solid Japan-U.S. security alliance is required for the stability of the
Asia-Pacific region all the more, as tensions have been escalating on the
Korean Peninsula following the fatal sinking of a South Korean warship in
March, for which North Korea has been found to be responsible.
As for relationships with Japan's key neighbors of China and South Korea, the
newly elected premier, a former civic activist who is considered leftish, will
not likely stir a controversy over history involving Japan's wartime colonial
rule and aggression.
For Japan and South Korea, the year 2010 is historically sensitive as it marks
a century since Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula in 1910.
Toshikazu Inoue, a professor of politics at Gakushuin University, said since
Kan regards Britain as a model for the Japanese political system, he may pursue
Japan's diplomatic relations by taking the British approach as an example.
''Britain maintains a security alliance with the United States and at the same
time, plays a major role in the European Union. Mr. Kan may try to import that
model to Asia,'' Inoue said, referring to the East Asian community initiative
modeled on the 27-nation regional bloc in Europe.
Inoue pointed out that Hatoyama mismanaged the issue as he gave Japan's
partners a wrong impression that Tokyo is seeking independence from the United
States by announcing the East Asian community vision.
The professor said Kan may not dare to seek high scores in diplomacy because it
is not politically ''cost-effective.'' The new leader may return to
''traditional'' approaches seen in the era of the Liberal Democratic Party's
rule, such as shelving contentious matters while boosting partnership in other
areas.
For example, Japan has deepened economic cooperation with Russia, while a
decades-old bilateral territorial row remains unsolved.
Hatoyama was scheduled to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev three
times later this year to discuss the dispute over Russian-held islands off
Hokkaido. Following Hatoyama's abrupt resignation, Kan is required to prevent
bilateral efforts to solve the row from losing momentum.
Inoue said even though Japan's presence has been marred by the revolving-door
political leadership, the nation's policies in specific areas still draw
interest in the international community.
''Japan should deliver specific messages in the diplomatic scenes rather than
making comprehensive proposals,'' he said. Hatoyama's pledge to reduce Japan's
greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 has been much
appreciated and Kan should take such a strategy focused on specific matters, he
said.
==Kyodo
2010-06-04 23:33:35


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