Cooperation between Japan and America Must Be Kept Alive

Japan and America have recently tried to smooth things over by using flowery words, but if action doesn’t follow, faith will be crushed. Prime Minister Naoto Kan cultivated cooperation at a meeting with President Obama and couldn’t help but express his concerns about this to him.

Prime Minister Kan visits the United States in early September. It was originally agreed that he would come “earlier this year,” but it has dragged on. It is not unusual for diplomatic agendas not to go as planned, but Kan’s postponement has caused problems.

Number one is the pending problem of relocating the U.S. Marines’ Futenma air base. This was the major premise for Kan’s scheduled visit to the U.S. earlier this year, but almost no work has been done on it.

After the major earthquake disaster in eastern Japan, Japan and the U.S. strengthened their bond by working together dealing with the accidents that broke out at nuclear power stations and providing relief to affected areas. President Obama promised that America would “help them recover no matter how long it takes.”* Even now, they continue to cooperate in dealing with the nuclear meltdown.

Two and a half months have already passed since the disaster, and if they don’t deal with the problems that were set aside since before March 11 soon, their cooperative spirit will be lost.

Progress on the Futenma problem can’t be neglected. The key lies with the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee (“2+2”) — Japanese ministers of defense and foreign affairs and their American counterparts, who have agreed to a meeting in June.

As originally planned, both governments must come up with a timetable for relocating Funtenma and decide how the alternative will be built.

Okinawa is deeply opposed to the current plan of relocating the base to Henoko, Okinawa. The conservative theory is that prioritizing coordination between the governments would invite even more local resistance.

However, if they continue to do nothing, rumors will spread that the U.S. Congress is reconsidering the current plan and worries will arise that the relocation will be postponed even further.

If the hazards of having Futenma in a town are left unchecked, it is the Okinawan people who will suffer. The Kan administration has no choice but to seek Okinawa’s understanding by explaining this with honesty.

Prime Minister Kan also shared his ideas early on regarding the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, which he put off dealing with because of the earthquake. I would like him to focus all of his energies on Japan’s domestic regulations so that he can keep his promise.

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