Vying for a "Strong America" in Asia in the US Presidential Elections

For President Obama — who is aiming to be re-elected in the November U.S. presidential elections — an Asian-Pacific strategy is a point of focus.

China’s rise to military power and North Korea’s nuclear missile development has thrown the region into upheaval, and strongly affects the future of the U.S.-Japan alliance and peace of the region. The American people have a tendency to look to their own country with their concern, and want both candidates to thoroughly vie for “a stronger America.”

In contrast to Mr. Obama, who aims to keep on getting results with regard to health insurance reforms and tying up the loose ends of the two wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, his challenger Romney is aggressively shifting the focus to finance reforms and employment. The approval ratings for both candidates are neck and neck, and I am looking forward to how exciting the coming debate will be.

Just as Obama spoke out, saying the election is “a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future,” from the policy side of things, the contrast between both camps is clear. Above all the most crucial matter for Japan, and the rest of Asia, is how the candidates are going to tackle the Asian-Pacific issues.

The fundamental statements and campaign promises both have made regarding America being “a Pacific power,” while valuing Japan as an ally, have not changed.

However, whereas the Democratic Party concentrates on “cooperation” with China through persuasion and interaction, the Republicans are making the traditional position of “peace through power” their strategy, while emphasizing “confrontation and restraint” by advancing into the South China Sea and managing the Chinese Yuan.

On one side of things, the Democratic Party is making allusions to the “deepening” of the U.S.-Japan alliance, and declaring that they “maintain a strong presence” in Japan and the Korean Peninsula. However, the Republican attitude toward Japan and the alliance is not that clear, which I find worrying.

I want to hear more explanations regarding how they will continue to realign U.S. forces with Japan, while being forced to reduce defense expenditure; how they will strengthen the deterrent power of the U.S.-Japan alliance; and more about their policy for expanding links with Australia and India.

Even with the problems concerning natural resources, energy, the suspicions of Iran’s nuclear development and the current state of Syria, the movements of China are the most important. How the U.S. and Japan will face China, and request that it act as a “responsible major power,” should be brought into question.

The domestic affairs concerns dominating the campaign are the great debt and the revival of employment. The peoples’ choice of either the Democrat’s “large administration” or the Republican’s “small administration,” will be the key to economic recovery, as well as the recovery of their strength overseas.

No matter how it’s possible, the world is looking to America to regain its strong powers of leadership in the Asia-Pacific.