| U.S.-Japanese
relations appear to be strong BY
MIKE UNGER Despite
simmering opposition among Japanese to America’s foreign policy,
specifically in regard to Iraq, the Japanese–United States
alliance remains strong. So
says William Breer, Japan chair of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, who told an audience at the Mary Graydon
Center last Tuesday that the “Japanese people believe an alliance
with the U.S. is the best way to defend Japan.” Breer,
who spent 18 years serving in the U.S. embassy in Japan, delivered
a lecture on Japan’s relationships with both its Asian neighbors
and the United States as part of the 79th Washington Asia Forum,
sponsored by AU’s Center for Asian Studies. “Japanese
prosperity is being driven by U.S. prosperity,” Breer said.
“Outsourcing has made Japanese manufacturers even more competitive
than in the past.” Business
remains brisk in one of the country’s most visible exports
—automobiles. “They’re
looking a little [more] into the future than their American counterparts,”
said Breer, citing the development by Japanese companies of hybrid
cars. The
country is not without economic challenges, however. “Many
factories in the countryside are now closed,” Breer said. “While
Tokyo is very prosperous, the rest of the country is not enjoying
the same kind of prosperity.” Since
World War II, Japan has been a virtually nonmilitary country, Breer
said. So its decision to send a small group of troops to support
U.S. efforts in Iraq was not taken lightly within the country. “Sending
troops to Iraq has strengthened that relationship [with the U.S.]
enormously,” Breer said. “But I think there’s some
question of American values. I think it will be a cold day in Tokyo
before a Japanese prime minister dispatches troops abroad on an
American mission.” History
remains an underlying factor in Japan’s relationships with
its neighbors, Breer said. After a long period of cold relations
with South Korea, the mood between the two countries is beginning
to thaw. “Japanese-Korean
relations are manageable,” Breer said. “There even seems
to be an exchange of pop culture between the two.” China
will present Japan with its biggest challenges in the future, Breer
said. “China
continues to look at Japan warily,” he said. “Japan doesn’t
really want to take a stand on Taiwan. There’s going to be
increasing competition between Japan and China for economic influence
and political power. I don’t know who’s going to win,
but China is the biggest country and someday will have a bigger
economy than Japan.
While the greatest threat to peace in the region stems from North
Korea, Breer does not believe hostility is imminent. “I’m
pretty optimistic about East Asia,” he said. “War over
Taiwan is almost inconceivable. It’s clear to North Korea that
if they do anything funny vis à vis [South] Korea or Japan,
[the U.S.] would massively retaliate.
“The main issue in East Asia in the next 40 years will be accommodating
a growing China,” he said. “History shows we don’t
respond to growing powers very well. But aren’t we smarter
than we were 80 years ago?” |
