Japan Press Weekly

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2012 April 25 - May 8 [POLITICS]

No need to strengthen Japan-US alliance

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko visited the United States and released a joint statement with President Barack Obama on April 30 local time.

The bilateral statement, titled, “A Shared Vision for the Future” stated, “The U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” and, “Japan and the United States pledge to fulfill our roles and responsibilities by utilizing the full range of capabilities to advance regional and global peace, prosperity and security.” It is absolutely nonsense to argue that the strengthening of the Japan-U.S. military and economic relations will be beneficial not only for the two countries but also for the rest of the world.

“We reaffirm the indispensability of the U.S.-Japan Alliance to the security of Japan, and to the peace, security, and economic prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region,” said the statement. However, the world can no longer be controlled by a bilateral military alliance. Be it Asia or other parts of the world, the major current is to establish a regional community for peace centered on the United Nations.

Without showing a sincere reflection on its past war of aggression, Japan tries to strengthen its military alliance with the U.S. and further develop its military capabilities. This cannot achieve trust from its neighboring countries in Asia. What Japan should do instead is to make full use of its war-renouncing Constitution and contribute to the creation of a community of peace in the region.

Linking Obama’s new defense strategy focusing on the Asia-Pacific region and Noda’s arms development policy with China in mind, the statement clearly aims to push the Japan-U.S. military integration to a higher level.

A new bilateral agreement on the realignment of the U.S. forces in Japan, published prior to the summit meeting, calls for the relocation of the U.S. Futenma base in Ginowan City, Okinawa, to another part of the prefecture, while avoiding directly naming Henoko of Nago City as a relocation site. Prime Minister Noda must accept grave responsibility for failing to convey to the U.S. president Okinawans’ collective demand for the unconditional return of the Futenma base.

As the joint statement expressed, “We will continue to advance our ongoing bilateral consultations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP),” Prime Minister Noda stated that he has not altered his intention to take part in the multinational free-trade agreement. Obama has expressed his particular interests in opening the market for automobiles, insurance, and beef, as trade items he wants to reach an agreement on in prior consultations with Japan. Noda’s stance goes against the Japanese public demand for cancellation of Japan’s participation in the TPP negotiations, which will have a tremendous negative impact on the domestic economy.

What Japan needs now is to abolish the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, the root cause of its political, economic, and military subordination to the U.S. The abrogation of the treaty will make it possible for Japan to create new future possibilities in the realms of diplomacy and economy. It is high time to engage in a nationwide discussion about the pros and cons of maintaining the bilateral treaty.