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Tokyo
12 November 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama is on his way to Japan, the first stop on
an Asian journey that will also take him to China, South Korea, and a
meeting of Pacific Rim leaders in Singapore.
The president
will waste no time in Japan, getting to work almost immediately after
Air Force One touches down at a Tokyo airport.
He will hold his
first bilateral meeting of the trip with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama - talks that are likely to focus on economic and security
matters.
Mr. Hatoyama has only been in office a few months. In
that time he has signaled his intention to seek trade deals with other
Asian nations, and review Japan's long-term military basing agreements
with the United States.
"These are themes that are not
especially welcome at the White House," said Michael Green who a
specialist in U.S. - Japan relations at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington. He says neither side expects a
major shift in relations, but the White House does have reason for
concern.
"I think you will see the president emphasizing the
importance of the alliance, perhaps pointing to new year, the 50th
anniversary of the 1960 security treaty, as an opportunity to
revitalize and strengthen the alliance," he said.
White House officials acknowledge it is time to reinvigorate and update the U.S.-Japan relationship.
The top White House advisor on East Asia, Jeffrey Bader, says that relationship goes beyond bilateral issues.
"It
goes to global issues that we look to cooperate on where Japan has a
major contribution to make: things like energy efficiency, where they
are a leader; climate change; aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where
Japan is the third-largest contributor in the world," he said.
Recently,
Japan announced it would provide $5 billion over five years in
additional aid to Afghanistan, and would move swiftly to fulfill an
existing pledge of $1 billion in economic assistance to Pakistan.
That
was welcome news for the White House, as the president nears a decision
on a revised strategy for Afghanistan that could include the deployment
of tens of thousands of additional American troops.
Some critics
have questioned why the president is traveling at a time when so many
pressing matters are before him - not just Afghanistan, but also the
U.S. economy and his ongoing campaign for health-care reform. But
specialists in the region say he is to be commended for deciding to
reach out across the Pacific.
Ken Lieberthal, an East Asia advisor to former President Bill Clinton, is now with the Brookings Institution in Washington.
"Asia
is the most important region in the world from the U.S. perspective
over the long term," he said. "We have huge economic interests in the
region. The security issues out there are tremendous."
As he
prepared to leave the White House for Asia, President Obama spoke about
the U.S. economy and stressed the connection across the Pacific.
"In
the coming days, I will also be meeting with leaders abroad to discuss
a strategy for growth that is both balanced and broadly shared," he
said. "It is a strategy in which Asian and Pacific markets are open to
our exports, and one in which prosperity around the world is no longer
as dependent on American consumption and borrowing, but rather more on
American innovation and products."
From Japan, Mr. Obama will
travel to Singapore for his first gathering of Pacific Rim leaders.
The meeting takes place under the auspices of APEC - the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum.
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