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On June 4, DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama met with reporters and explained the purpose of his visit to the Republic of Korea, to take place the following day.
Asked about the meaning behind the visit and the themes of the meetings he would be having, Hatoyama replied, “It will be my first overseas visit since becoming President, so I would like to have meaningful discussions.” At the same time, he said of President Lee Myung-bak, “In a sense, I think he is a utilitarian that is someone who responds to things as they are. Furthermore, President Obama is also someone who believes in cooperation, who realizes that we no longer have a situation where the United States can act alone to resolve issues.” Considering these circumstances, and the current difficult environment in the region, where North Korea has conducted a nuclear test and launched missiles, Hatoyama emphasised that “I want to state that the DPJ will also cooperate, so that Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States can cooperate, and while calling for the cooperation of China, resolve this situation, finally, not by military might, but through dialogue. That is what I would like to convey during our meetings.”
Hatoyama went on to comment on the themes he would like to discuss, saying, “I would like to honestly express my long-held conviction that what is important is not that Japan is over-reliant on the United States in terms of foreign policy and national security, but that Japan is an Asian nation, that we can engage in closer cooperation within Asia, and that I would like us to develop a mutual national understanding befitting this.”
Hatoyama was asked whether he would also engage in more specific discussions, such as the establishment of an East Asian Community through fraternal diplomacy. He responded, “If possible, I would also like to discuss such matters.” Regarding the concept of fraternity, he explained, “As we saw when the European Union was established, France and Germany had engaged in a number of large-scale wars, and from the belief that Europe should never again see war, the structure known as the EU was finally established. The basis for this was the concept of fraternity.”
Hatoyama went on to say, “From this perspective, I don’t think that all Asian nations can definitely be said to share the same values.[…]However, I believe it is extremely desirable for us to overcome this and form an East Asian Community of some kind.” He added, “I think that this would be an extremely important attempt to rid Asia of disputes, and it would also be extremely meaningful from the point of view of deepening economic cooperation. In that sense, it would be valuable if I was able to discuss these kinds of issues.”
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