U.S.-Japan Leadership Summit: Toward a Deeper Alliance, It Is Time for "Results"

Published in Yomiuri
(Japan) on 23 September 2011
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Ryan Whiting. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
Trust has been built between leaders of each country by continued efforts on both sides and through concrete results. Prime Minister Noda should do the same thing.

Prime Minster Noda visited the United States and met with President Barack Obama.

The president said, “Japan is a key ally and partner with whom we have wide cooperation.”* The prime minister remarked on U.S. military support since the earthquake disaster, and said that “without a doubt, the U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of Japanese diplomacy.”

Both leaders agreed that a safe first face-to-face meeting helps deepen the U.S.-Japan alliance. On the other hand, the president made many specific requests of Japan that the prime minster needs to accept.

“We are approaching a period where you need to see results,” expressed the president, with strong hope of future progress on the Futenma Airbase relocation problem.** The prime minster responded, “I will do my best to gain the understanding of the Okinawans.”

Former Prime Ministers Hatoyama and Kan incessantly preached the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance — but the United States must be distrustful because Japan did not follow up with action and kept putting off addressing specific issues.

If the relocation of the Futenma Airbase to Henoko doesn’t materialize it could create a permanent and dangerous situation, which could also have a negative impact on the relocation to Guam of current Marines stationed on Okinawa. The Japanese government needs to speed up negotiations with Okinawans in order to make progress in relocation.

The president pressed Japan for progress on the problem of restricted U.S. beef imports and also asked that Japan participate in the Hague Treaty, which deals with parental rights with their children in international divorce situations. He asked that Japan quickly reform their domestic laws.

Prime Minster Noda sought understanding when he explained what needs to happen to sign the Hague Treaty. He also showed his desire to find “an acceptable solution that both sides can agree on” to the beef problem. For the alliance to be strengthened there must not be a lack of effort to move these old, nagging problems forward.

About the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP), the prime minster simply stated, “I hope to gather all the problems together and then conclude them as soon as possible.”

Nine countries, including the United States, are looking to get an agreement on the general framework of the TPP at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting which is scheduled for the middle of November. The prime minster believes that November is the deadline for Japan to decide whether to participate or not, and so he must lead in creating domestic reform.

As for the issue of North Korea, both leaders from Japan and the United States agreed to maintain a close-knit relationship between North Korea, Japan and the United States. At a leadership summit between Japan and South Korea, that same policy was confirmed.

In order to elicit specific actions by North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, it is essential that Japan, the U.S. and South Korea work together along with China to increase pressure on North Korea.

*Editor’s Note: This quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.

**Translator’s Note: Kurt Campbell, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, seemed to say that, rather than President Obama.


日米首脳会談 同盟深化へ「結果」を出す時だ(9月23日付・読売社説)

 国家の首脳間の信頼関係は、双方が努力を重ね、具体的成果を上げることで築かれる。野田首相はそれを実践すべきだ。

 野田首相が訪米し、オバマ米大統領と会談した。

 大統領は「日本は重要な同盟国で、幅広く協力していくパートナーだ」と語った。首相は、米軍の震災支援に触れ、「日米同盟は日本外交の基軸だという信念が揺るぎないものになった」と応じた。

 両首脳が日米同盟を深化させることで一致したことは、まずは無難な初顔合わせと言えよう。

 一方で、大統領が日本に多くの具体的要求をした事実を、首相は真剣に受け止める必要がある。

 大統領は、米軍普天間飛行場の移設問題について「結果を見いだすべき時期に近づいている」と述べ、進展に強い期待を示した。首相は「沖縄の理解を得るべく全力を尽くしたい」と答えた。

 米側には、鳩山元首相と菅前首相が日米同盟の重要性を唱えるばかりで、具体的な課題を先送りし、行動が伴わなかったことへの不信があるのだろう。

 普天間飛行場の辺野古移設が実現しなければ、危険な現状が固定化するし、在沖縄海兵隊のグアム移転にも悪影響が出る。政府は、移設の前進へ沖縄県との協議を加速させなければならない。

 大統領は、日本が米国産牛肉の輸入を制限している問題の進展を迫った。国際結婚破綻後の子どもの親権をめぐるハーグ条約に関しても、日本が条約加盟に向けて国内法整備を急ぐよう求めた。

 野田首相は、牛肉問題で「双方が受け入れ可能な解決」を目指す考えを示すとともに、ハーグ条約の加盟準備状況を説明し、理解を求めた。同盟を深化させるには、こうした長年の懸案を前に動かす努力も欠かせない。

 首相は、環太平洋経済連携協定(TPP)参加問題について「しっかり議論を積み重ね、できるだけ早い時期に結論を出したい」と述べるにとどまった。

 米国など9か国は、11月中旬のアジア太平洋経済協力会議(APEC)でのTPP大枠合意を目指している。首相は、11月が日本参加決断の期限と考え、国内調整を主導しなければなるまい。

 北朝鮮問題について、日米両首脳は日米韓の緊密な連携を維持することで合意した。日韓首脳会談でも同様の方針を確認した。

 北朝鮮から非核化への具体的な行動を引き出すには、日米韓が中国とも協調し、北朝鮮への働きかけを強めることが大切だ。
(2011年9月23日01時11分 読売新聞)
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