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On January 31, in a session of the House of Representatives Committee on Budget, DPJ Diet member Sumio Mabuchi asked Prime Minister Naoto Kan about his nation-building philosophy and foreign policy.
Mabuchi asked Kan to explain the concept of a “society with minimum unhappiness” which was part of his stated philosophy of nation-building. Kan said, “The most important work of politics is to reduce unhappiness, war, poverty and sickness that is evident to all to the lowest possible level.” He added, “I do not mean this at all in a negative sense. What I would like to do is to minimize the elements that cause unhappiness for everyone, and under such conditions enable each individual to find a way of living that contents them.”
Next, Mabuchi touched on the basic view of the running of the administration since the change of government, pointing out that there was a gap in perception between the administration and the general public. In response to Mabuchi’s comment that the government should not simply publicise its achievements, but also needed to listen to the voices of the public, Kan said, “The Japanese public had high expectations of a DPJ government, and feels that those expectations may not always have been adequately satisfied during the past year and a half. However, they are fully aware of the size of the problems facing Japan, and so I believe that voices calling for us to thorough engage with such problems form the basis [of public comments]. I would like us to summon the courage to listen to the voices of the people, and to take a stance in which we move forward while fully communicating important matters.”
Following this, Mabuchi said that according to private sector opinion surveys, when asked what the important themes were for Japanese society, responses from members of the public ranked diplomatic issues such as the Senkaku Islands, Northern Territories and North Korea high on the list. He pointed out this clearly indicated the public was calling for a clarification of Japan’s foreign policy stance, and for the promotion of foreign policies with mid to long-term strategic goals and an awareness of the national interest. With this in mind, Mabuchi asked Kan whether he thought it important to stabilize and strengthen the Japan-US alliance. In response, Kan expressed the opinion that “The Japan-US alliance plays a role as public property for promoting the peace and prosperity not only of Japan, but of many states in the Asian-Pacific region.” He went on to say that he was currently engaged in preparations to ensure that concrete advances in deepening the Japan-US alliance could be realized through his planned trip to the United States in the spring.
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