WIT Life #71: 日米関係？日中関係？どちらを優先するか？
Anecdote Article, Article/Journalism, Japan Trends, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life 
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
This Sunday’s Times carried an interesting article about the shifting nature of the respective relationships between Japan and the US (日米関係 (Nichibei kankei)) and Japan and China (日中関係 (Nicchuu kankei)), and the seeming diplomatic displacement of the former by the latter. As an example, it discusses the tension regarding the Futenma U.S. Marine base issue when Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates went to Japan last fall, in contrast to the red carpet treatment that a Japanese delegation to China received two months later. It is said that within the current government there is frustration with the U.S.’s “occupation mentality,” the Obama administration’s high-handed attitude in the heated dispute over the relocation of this base.
Not only are there ripples in the formerly smooth-sailing Japan-U.S. relationship, but there is a growing awareness of the rise of China and Japan’s economic ties to this country as opposed to the U.S. According to a Keio University professor quoted in the article, “[Prime Minister Yukio] Hatoyama wants to use Asia to offset what he sees as the declining influence of the [U.S.]. He thinks he can play China off the [U.S.].” He goes on to warn that, “[Hatoyama] does not have a clear sense of what relying on China would really mean, or whether it is even actually desirable.” An adviser to Hatoyama on security issues insists that in cozying up to Asia the DPJ needs to be cognizant of the fact that China is not a friendly country in military matters, and that a real threat exists on the Korean peninsula.
One surprising proposal in the article is for Hatoyama to go to Nanjing to apologize for the 1937 massacre, and for China’s President Hu Jintao to visit Hiroshima to “proclaim China’s peaceful intentions.” Considering the huge discrepancy in the numbers offered by both governments regarding this historical massacre, that seems like an unrealistically huge leap forward to me. This apparently is a Chinese initiative, but was recently reported in the Yomiuri Shimbun.
The adjoining article in Sunday’s paper highlighted the financial scandal surrounding Ichiro Ozawa, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)’s secretary general who is often considered to be the real power behind Hatoyama. His aides are suspected of misreporting political donations and have been arrested for this. Despite being grilled regarding this for four hours over the weekend by prosecutors, Ozawa stands behind them and he is in turn backed by Hatoyama.
But going back to the as-of-late bumpy Nichibei kankei, the election this weekend of DPJ-endorsed 64-year old Susumu Inamine as the mayor of Nago, Okinawa was big news. It was the first time since 1998 that a mayoral candidate advocating the relocation of Futenma to a site outside Okinawa was chosen (the incumbent had said he would accept a move of American troops to Nago if the DPJ opted for it). This unexpected victory will tax U.S. ties with Japan, and the Washington Post described it as a “small-town election that may have a big impact.” Hatoyama has promised to make a final decision on the base’s new location by May, so stay tuned till then!
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