Hatoyama’s Far East Diplomacy: Reaffirming the Japanese-American Cornerstone

At a series of meetings in Thailand with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said that the Japanese-U.S. alliance is the foundation of Japanese foreign policy. He dared to say this before personally advocating the idea of an East Asian collective body. It is an unprecedented utterance.

During his September meeting with President Barack Obama he did not mention his plans. Instead, he caused concerns that he would distance Japan from America. With the issue of the relocation of the U.S.’s Futenma air base, a strain had arisen in Japan-American relations. Yet, in spite of this, Hatoyama, on the big stage of Asian diplomacy, supported America’s participation in a proposed East Asian cooperative body. His regard for Japan’s national interests is commendable.

However, the Hatoyama administration is not unified on the issue of U.S. participation. Japan’s Foreign Minister, Katsuya Okada, has stated that while Japan, China, Korea, the ASEAN nations, India, Australia and New Zealand will be included in the participating nations of the said cooperative body, the U.S. would be left out.

The administration should clarify how Japan’s alliance with the U.S. will relate to their plan.

In the series of high-level meetings, Prime Minister Hatoyama stated that the center of the proposed East Asian collective body would be ASEAN. He also explained that for the meantime, he wanted to promote cooperation in the areas of economics, education and disaster prevention.

The ASEAN response, however, was not that of wholehearted reception. Prime Minister Hatoyama’s proposed implementation plan of coordination between Japan, China and South Korea was especially met with objection in the meetings between the leaders of Japan, China, South Korea and ASEAN.

ASEAN, whose ten constituent countries want the formation of a community by 2015, expects that ASEAN itself be the core of any future unification of the region. Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit, wary of the initiative being stolen away, called for the unification of ASEAN to be the first step.

Compared to Hatoyama’s vague planning, China is moving quickly. At the ASEAN meeting, Premier Wen Jiabao stated that China would cooperate with the unification of ASEAN and the future implementation of an East Asian collective body. In order to correct the disparity between the ASEAN member-nations, it plans to establish a ten billion dollar investment fund. And in January of next year, it will take part in establishing the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area.

America should be a participant to balance against China’s excessive influence in East Asian economic and military affairs. And Japan’s diplomacy should be based on this reality. If Hatoyama’s plan is not firmly set, ASEAN and other countries will not accept it.