April 27, 2007
Embattled Bush, Abe Present United Front
It's a little odd that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waited eight months after assuming office to pay a visit to the United States, Japan's staunchest ally and military guardian. But this week's meeting between Abe and George W. Bush underscores a truth that might be easy to forget, particularly after last night: Bush hasn't left office yet.
Speaking to reporters today after a series of meetings, the two leaders, both deeply unpopular at home, reaffirmed their commitment to working out the North Korean nuclear crisis and seeing Iraq through to stability.
"We feel proud as an ally of the United States," Abe said, speaking in Japanese.
Relations between a sitting president and a newly elected leader can be awkward at first, particularly if the president got along famously with the newbie's predecessor, as Bush did with Junichiro Koizumi. The Economist and the New York Times devote column space to that aspect of this week's visit.
On the policy front, the two nations face significant changes that will likely fall more heavily on Bush's successor's lap than his own. Abe seemed to indicate his cognizance of this, repeatedly describing the U.S.-Japan alliance as "unshakeable" or "irreplaceable" -- in other words, one that will far outlast Bush.
Abe told reporters that "on the eve" of his departure from Japan he ordered a blue-ribbon panel "for the purposes of reshaping national security in a way that will befit the times." Abe, more of a staunch nationalist than Koizumi, advocates restoration of military power to Japan. This is in part a nod to the increasing tensions in that region -- the island nation is a missile-shot away from belligerent North Korea. But the effort also represents a rising tide of nationalism in Japan, which seeks to extricate itself from the shackles (such as a prohibition against militarization) placed on it following World War II.
Bush didn't comment on Japan's effort to rebuild an army, possibly because the issue is something of a no-win for Washington. South Korea and China, also key U.S. allies, oppose a remilitarized Japan, both having been brutally colonized by their economically stronger rival. All parties, plus Russia, are working together in an effort to coax North Korea into dropping its nuclear ambitions.
Bush and Abe expressed solidarity on the negotiations with Pyongyang. "I have always believed the best way to solve these difficult problems is through diplomacy," Bush said, when asked by a reporter if he had "gone soft" on North Korea. Abe warned the North Koreans that they risked further "food and economic" security straits by not keeping up their end of the agreement.
But Abe acknowledged that the six-party talks had yet to produce real results. Bush said that their patience with North Korea "is not unlimited," but did not say what would happen if that patience finally ran out.
The White House Web site has the two leaders' joint statement on energy and climate change. Bush also accepted Abe's apology for Japan's use of "comfort women" during the war -- another thorny issue in that region. AP has more on what was said.
Posted at 11:10 AM
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Asia, Japan, North Korea, President Bush
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