Japan-US Sober Relationship

It at least showed that there was no firm personal friendship between Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, and US President, Barack Obama. Both leaders seemed to have agreed on not having official meeting in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, where the Group 8 leaders are having annual meeting this week. It is unusual for the leaders of Japan and US not to have bilateral meeting during the G8 Summit. Although officials of the government of Japan insisted that both leaders had exchanged their view through telephone talk earlier this month, there still are many things to talk about in face-to-face manner. Both of them, or Obama at least, were not interested in demonstrating the closeness of the ally for domestic politics.

Abe announced to the reporters en route Northern Ireland the possibility of no meeting with Obama during the summit. The explanation of the officials was that two leaders had talk over the phone about issues beteen them, including US-China summit talk earlier this month.

There are, however, many things to talk about. People in Japan expect Abe to obtain details about the negotiation of Trans-Pacific Partnership, taking advantage of the alliance. If there were a sort of friendship between two leaders, they would have taken that issue in a face-saving way for them. Even just taking picture of the meeting may work for demonstrating their close relationship. No meeting means the fact that they have no need to symbolically show their willingness to take on world issues.

One possible reason of sober relationship of both leaders is that US has been reluctant to let Japan be involved in US-China relationship. Mixing the relationship between the great powers with trivial matters, such as Senkaku issue, may be causing confusion. Newspapers in Japan brought stories, as revealed by sources in the bilateral relationship, that US President told Abe about his assertion to Chinese President at the meeting in California that US would not ignore Japan as an ally to be threatened by China.

Another factor would be Abe’s unilateral attitude in diplomacy and interpretation of history. Toward North Korea, he sent an unofficial envoy to talk about breakthrough, while US and South Korea was putting pressure to the North. He has still not made clear of his apology on the comfort women issue, preserving the option of reviewing Kono Statement that approved the involvement of Japanese government.

Compared to the down-to-earth character of George W. Bush to Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, Obama’s style looks pragmatic. But it is obvious that current sober relationship between the leaders of Japan and US is mainly attributed to the unreasonable handling of politics on Japanese side.