New Foreign Minister Sees New US-Japan Future
Katsuya Okada Sees a New Direction for the US-Japan Alliance
Sep 27, 2009
Katsuya Okada, newly appointed Foreign Minister of Japan, recently announced his views on the US-Japan relationship. Though the alliance is very important to Japan, US foreign policy, and Asian affairs, it is time for a change. Since the end of World War II, the United States has played the leading role in the relationship, from maintaining a military base in Okinawa to pushing for military support in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the former ruling party of Japan, has been criticized for years by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) for kowtowing to US foreign policy and agenda. Okada sees a different sort of relationship for the future, one that allows for a more independent Japan to be an advocate for itself and its own Asian agenda.
The New Japan
With the coming of the DPJ into power comes a new Japanese ideal. For many years the DPJ has felt that Japan is too reliant on the United States, in large part due to Article IX of the Japanese constitution, which denies Japan the ability to maintain military forces. Under the LDP, this translated into a tight security relationship with the United States wherein the US provided security to Japan in exchange for a military presence. The DPJ does not wish to end this relationship, but rather sees the relationship modernizing. Ideally, this will involve a constitutional amendment allowing for greater Japanese military maneuverability and a reduced US military presence in Japan, thereby creating a more independent Japan.
This independence would allow Japan to consider its own interests in the Asian region – such as its relationships with Iran and Afghanistan. Such a move could allow Japan to do more in terms of securing much needed energy and food resources from its Asian neighbors.
A Continued Relationship
This is not to say that Okada wishes to break away from the United States. Rather, Okada sees the US maintaining a military presence in Okinawa and in other parts of Japan, just with a reduced number of troops. And in terms of Asian relations, the US and Japan continue to see eye-to-eye on a number of issues and thus are unlikely to diverge on issues such as North Korean nuclear disarmament. The issue of a constitutional amendment allowing for a standing Japanese military will continue to limit Japan’s national interests until such time that the DPJ has a solid coalition in the government to pass the amendment. However, given the importance of the DPJ’s new domestic agenda, a constitutional amendment is likely still far in the future.
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