Prime Minister Abe with
President Obama at the White House last year:
Is the U.S. leader hard
to approach, too businesslike, and most of all, is
he too hard on
Japan, which is under fire around Asia and the world for
its stance on history
and who owns certain territories in the Pacific?
Feeling Slighted By Obama, Tokyo Pins Hopes on Republican Win in
2016 (47 News, Japan)
"'Obama is too businesslike, it is rather difficult to
build a personal relationship with him,' Prime Minister Abe let slip recently when
commenting to aides.
... The mixed feelings of Obama's Democratic government toward Japan is the
flipside of the Japanese government's hope for the Republicans seeking to come
to power after the next election. ... Koichi Hagiuda,
who serves as special adviser to the prime minister, commented in relation to
the U.S. statement about disappointment that 'this level of fault-finding was
never reached with Republican administrations.'"
Shinzo Abe: His decision to worship at the Yasukuni Shrine has brought his government widespread condemnation, but nothing has hurt more than America's expression of 'dissapointment.'
Discontent
is smoldering in the Abe cabinet over U.S. government criticism of Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. The furor over Abe aide Seiichi Eto's rebuttal of the U.S. statement on Yasukuni
has settled down after Eto “retracted” his comments.
Despite this, it is clear from the remarks of insiders that cabinet members
feel that the Obama Administration is siding disproportionately with China and
South Korea, who have become quite vocal in expressing reprehension toward
Japan. The prime minister himself is clearly discomfited by the American
expression of "disappointment." The question is: can the bad blood be
removed before Obama's April visit to Japan?
“Obama
is too businesslike, it is rather difficult to build a personal relationship
with him,” the prime minister let slip recently when commenting to aides on the
differing communication styles of the two leaders. Since Abe's second term
began in December 2012, there have only been two formal meetings between Abe
and Obama. According to Japanese government officials, these meetings stuck to practical
matters from start to finish. One diplomat lamented that “friendship and trust
between leaders is essential for a solid alliance, but Mr. Obama does not at
all care.”
At
the heart of the Abe administration is resentment over the way U.S.
“disappointment,” which was announced right after the prime minister's Yasukuni visit, has amplified accusations against Japan by
China, which are aimed at dividing the allies. This has also turned Japanese public
opinion against the Abe Administration.
There
is also mounting suspicion toward Secretary of State John Kerry, who is considered
lacking interest in Japan. In February, Kerry visited China and South Korea, countries
that are at odds with Japan over its views on historical events and territorial
disputes. By visiting the two countries and bypassing Japan, there were murmurs
from the cabinet that “it comes across as a slight.”
The
mixed feelings of Obama's Democratic government is the flipside of the Japanese
government's hope for the Republicans seeking to come to power after the next
election. On January 21st, the prime minister received a courtesy visit from Republican
Senator Marco Rubio. Meetings with young American politicians are usually limited
to several minutes, but the prime minister spoke with first term Senator Rubio
for approximately half an hour. This was seen as an “early investment in a
presidential contender who takes a tough line against China and is
sympathetic toward Japan.”
However,
if Japan generates friction by publicly criticizing the U.S., that may be
exactly what China is hoping for in its quest to bring America to its side over
historical issues. The online edition of The
Global Times, a publication of The
People's Daily, sensationally reported on February 21st that “criticism of the
prime minister by his closest ally has stunned public opinion in both
countries.”
So
after the February 21st cabinet meeting, ministers were at pains to emphasize
the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance. Minister of State for Okinawa and
Northern Territorial Affairs Ichita
Yamamoto sought to calm nerves, saying that “the prime minister strongly
values the alliance,” and Minister in Charge of the Abduction Issue KeijiFuruya stressed that “the U.S.-Japan relationship
is our most important alliance.” They were frantically trying not to give the
wrong message to international society that Japan had turned anti-American.
Posted
By Worldmeets.US
Yet
at a party meeting in mid January, Koichi Hagiuda,
who serves as special adviser to the prime minister, commented in relation to
the U.S. statement about disappointment that “this level of fault-finding was
never reached with Republican administrations.” It is impossible to conceal the
mistrust held by the government toward the Obama Administration, and in all likelihood
these are tensions that will surface again.
