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On June 25, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada received a courtesy call from United States Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy at party headquarters, and engaged in a lively dialogue on the Japan-US alliance, the issue of the realignment of US forces in Japan and other issues. The meeting was also attended by Vice President Seiji Maehara and Next Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshio Hachiro.
At the start of the meeting, Okada shook hands firmly with Flournoy and welcomed her to Japan, showing concern for her delegation’s tight schedule by saying that they “must be tired” having visited Japan via China.
During the discussion, Flournoy stressed that the Japan-US alliance was important for the security of the Asian-Pacific Region, and emphasised that even if a change of government were to take place the relationship needed to develop further based on this perception. She said that currently, North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile launches pose “a challenge to the security of East Asia”, and added that strengthening defence cooperation between Japan and the US would be a deterrent, while stressing that the trilateral cooperation between Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US was extremely important.
Okada pointed out, “In order to create a strong Japan-US relationship 30 or 50 years into the future, we need to look back over our history and consider things from a long-term perspective…To be frank, including the current situation of US bases in Japan, it is still a direct extension of [a situation created] 60 years ago. The reason that there is such a concentration of bases in Okinawa is also because of a hangover from the past.”
Okada went on to suggest, “In order to stabilize the Japan-US Security Agreement over the long term, we must carry out amendments,” and added that both sides should work to make the Japan-US alliance fairer. Furthermore, he said that there were various historical reasons for the situation, and that it would be necessary to consider matters in terms of the order of priority, and expressed the opinion that “What is most important is the relationship of trust between the two countries. Once a change of government takes place, the leaders of both nations should meet and establish a relationship of trust.”
Flournoy referred to the plan for realignment of US forces, explaining that US military realignment, including the Guam agreement, would reduce the burden placed on Okinawa, and was an indispensable issue for creating a fairer Japan-US alliance. She said that, along with cooperation on Afghanistan and anti-piracy measures, realignment was important in furthering the partnership with Japan.
Maehara cited North Korea and China as issues relating to the surrounding strategic environment in East Asia over the mid- to long-term, and commented with regard to North Korea that the serious health problems suffered by Kim Jong Il and the relating issue of the transfer of power, had now reached “the most unstable period.” He pointed out that under these circumstances, it would be important to use a strong relationship of trust between Japan and the US and cooperation between Japan, the US and the Republic of Korea as a springboard to encourage China and Russia to play a constructive role.
Following on from this, Maehara said that China was an extremely important neighbour for Japan, while expressing concern at the way Chinese military spending had increased 19 times during the past 20 years. He added that it was important to urge China to fulfil her role as “a responsible stakeholder” and commented that over the long term it would be vital for Japan, the US and China to cooperate and make a commitment to the security of East Asia.
Flournoy said that she shared this opinion, and ended by expressing her impression that “we were able to have a good discussion. It was really good to meet you” and her hopes for further dialogue in the future.
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