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Hillary in Japan - The Enforcer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2025

Gavan McCormack
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Debilitated by nearly 20 years of rising debt levels, stagnation, mismanagement and lack of direction, Japan faces an economic crisis of almost unprecedented severity. Considerably worse than the US (and worst in the post-war period, according to Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Yosano Kaoru), it is matched by a no less severe political crisis. Even before Finance Minister, Nakagawa Shoichi, gave the incoherent, alcohol-driven performance at the Rome G7 Finance Ministers' meeting that cost him his job, the Aso government's support level in the polls was down to 14 per cent [1]. Since then it has obviously fallen further, by some accounts already to around the nine percent record low of Prime Minister Mori Yoshiro in 2001.

Type
Research Article
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 7 , Issue 8 , February 2009 , e7
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2009

References

Notes

[1] “Agreement between the Government of Japan and the Government of the United States of America concerning the Implementation of the Relocation of 111 Marine Expeditionary Force Personnel and their Dependents from Okinawa to Guam,” Tokyo, 17 February 2009.

Japanese version

English version

[2] Asahi shimbun, 11 February, 2009 (disapproval: 73 per cent),

[3] For details, see my Client State: Japan in the American Embrace, New York and London, Verso, 2007, chapters 5 and 7.

[4] “Obama and Japan – Futenma relocation a pressing issue,” Yomiuri Shimbun, 20 November 2008.

[5] For details on these developments, see the various articles posted on Japan Focus, including those by this author.

[6] Yoichi Kato, “Interview/ Richard Lawless: Japan-U.S. alliance faces 'priority gap,” Asahi shimbun, 2 May 2008.

[7] Quoted by Funabashi Yoichi, “Obama seiken to Nichibei kankei - Heiji no domei tsuikyu suru toki,” Asahi shimbun, 26 January 2009.

[8] “Clinton praises strong U.S.-Japan Ties,” Yomiuri shimbun, 18 February 2009.

[9] There is, however, some room for doubt as to whether the DPJ's opposition is strategic and absolute or tactical and focussed on details sch as cost. “DPJ should back US marine move plan,” Yomiuri shimbun, 21 February 2009.

[10] Kaho Shimizu, “Greater security role is in Japan's interest: Gates,” Japan Times, 10 November 2007.

[11] Kurt Campbell and Michael Green, “Ozawa's bravado may damage Japan for years,” Asahi shimbun, 29 August 2007.

[12] AFP, “Clinton, Japan sign US troops pull-out deal,” Sydney Morning Herald, 18 February 2009.

[13] Masako Toki, “Missile defense in Japan,” The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, 16 January 2009.

[14] According to Robert Eldridge, professor at Osaka University and currently attached to the US Marine Command in Hawaii, quoted in “Guamu kyotei shomei, towareru itsusu no gorisei,” editorial, Ryukyu shimpo, 18 February 2009. (See also military affairs critic, Handa Shigeru, “Akumu ka, Obama seiken ka no Beigun saihen,” Shukan kinyobi, 16 January 2009, pp. 16-17.)