hankyoreh

Feb. 22 (EST). (AFP) 　

By Park Hyun and Jeong Nam-ku, Washington and Tokyo correspondents

While the summit by the Japanese and US heads of government on Feb. 22 (local time) may not have had any concrete results, observers are viewing it as an indication that the relationship between the two countries is improving after chilly relations during the three years when the Democratic Party of Japan was in power. The US came bearing gifts, of a sort, for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, reaffirming the importance of the US-Japan alliance and suggesting that it would ease requirements for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). However, the US showed a cautious attitude about the escalating territorial issue concerning the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu in China) so as not to offend China.

The summit produced three rough results.

First, it reaffirmed the US-Japan security alliance. Obama said that the alliance is “the central foundation for our regional security and so much of what we do in the Pacific region,” while Abe said, “I think I can declare with confidence that the trust and the bond in our alliance is back.”

Second, the two countries came to an agreement about taking firm measures to respond to North Korea.

Third is the fact that the US said it would not view the abolishment of tariffs on agricultural products and other sensitive items as a prerequisite for Japan’s participation in negotiations for the TPP.

The meeting showed Japan acting as if it were dependent on the US in both the areas of security and economy. With the territorial dispute with China and the North Korean nuclear test increasing concerns about security, Abe wanted to receive confirmation from President Obama about the US-Japan security alliance. In addition, he also needed concessions from the US in regard to the TPP to help with an economic rebound, which is essential for the restoration of a “strong Japan,” one of his key slogans.

To this end, Abe reconfirmed that Japan would take action to move the Futenma US military base in Okinawa as promised, and he pledged to increase the national defense budget, thus signaling that it would help the US reduce its share of the responsibility for Japan’s defense. This is welcome news for the US, which is under pressure from a budget deficit.

Additionally, in regard to the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu in China), Abe reassured the US, which is worrying that it might get involved in this problem, that will, “deal with this issue, the Senkaku issue, in a calm manner”, while insisting that Japan would not tolerate any challenges to its sovereignty.

“Their meeting yielded no announcements of major policy changes...But the summit suggested at least the potential for a warming,” the New York Times reported. “Mr. Abe, who has taken hawkish stands in the past, also signaled that he had reassured the Americans that he would not act rashly and instead would seek to improve relations with Beijing.”

Even as the US backed up Abe, who is facing a House of Councilors election in July, it revealed that keen awareness of China informs its actions. While Obama told Abe, “You can rest assured that you will have a strong partner in the United States throughout your tenure,” he did not make a single mention of the Senkaku islands.

The same applies to the meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. While the Japanese press reported that Kerry mentioned the fact that the Senkaku islands fall under the US-Japan security pact, the remarks released by the US State Department only quote Kerry as complimenting “Japan on the restraint that it has shown, its efforts to try to make sure that this does not flare up into a significant confrontation.”

The US and Japan strongly feel that it is necessary to check the rise of China and to take joint action to respond to the instability resulting from North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons. However, as can be seen in the issue of the Senkaku islands, the US is leery of leaning too far toward Japan. This is because such action could interfere with the US strategic goal of peacefully integrating China in a US-dominated world order.

This suggests that there will be a significant difference from the warm relations between the two counties in the 1980s when US President Ronald Reagan and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone were in office, a period commonly referred to as the “Ron-Yasu friendship.” At that time, the two countries enjoyed a close cooperative relationship, both in the areas of security and economics, stemming from the joint objective of containing the Soviet Union.

“Moving forward, the US hopes that Japan will take on greater responsibility in the areas of preserving stability in East Asia and handling the rise of China,” said Richard Bush, director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]