This report, although it supports the first standpoint, has little concern for the second one because it is based on the belief that the U.S. and Japan will remain the world's largest economies on the basis of their common interests and values, and that their alliance could advance in a way that embraces China and Korea.(1) However, it seems that some lawmakers in the U.S. could not simply agree with the report on this point. They seem to consider that the alliance could fail in Asia unless the U.S. takes some action toward Japan right now.
Some U.S. lawmakers have started to openly criticize Japan's attitude in dealing with controversial issues with its neighboring countries. Last year, during a Sept. 14 hearing entitled "Japan's Relations with Her Neighbors: Back to the Future?," the House International Relations Committee raised the concern that the history of Japan's war-time atrocities is putting U.S. interests in Asia in serious danger. This concern finally led the U.S. to take specific measures.
The U.S. Congress last year attempted to approve an initial non-binding resolution urging Japan to admit its responsibility and educate people about its war-time atrocities and crimes, but failed in the face of the Japanese government and its Washington lobbyists. The Congress again presented another resolution bill requesting Japan to formally apologize for sex slavery issues and to acknowledge its involvement.(2) Furthermore, the U.S. State Department recently used straightforward words to criticize Japan's attitude toward dealing with sex slavery issues, words which may have been regarded as too severe to direct at one of its cherished allies.(3) What prompted the U.S. to bring change in its attitude toward Japan? Of many possible reasons, one main reason can explain it: the "New Asia."
Because the U.S. has been involved in the Asian region, providing for an enormous market for products and supplying new technologies (6), this landscape may cause the U.S. to fear or at least engender a sense of American isolation in the Asian economy.(7) This also possibly means that America's political influence in Asia may gradually wane in times to come. In light of this situation, Japan's role in their alliance should come to the fore and occupy a more critical position than it presently does in America's economic and foreign policy toward Asia.
However, even though the U.S. could adopt such wise behavior, its effort could be undermined by a significant outside factor. The new challenge to the U.S. now seems to be its closest partner in Asia, Japan. Specifically, the problem is Japanese nationalism, which has been provoking China and South Korea. South Korea is one the U.S.'s traditional Asian allies. Japan is being intransigent on sensitive issues such as history text books, wartime sex slavery, Yasukuni shrine visits, and territorial disputes.
In this way, first of all, Japanese nationalism has, in effect, damaged diplomatic relationships between China and Japan, thus intensifying tension and hindering the formation of cooperative relationships between the U.S., Japan and China. Furthermore, it also has seriously hampered Japan's relationship with South Korea, and prompted South Korea to stay closer to China when addressing Japan. Japanese nationalism, therefore, may invite the risk that cooperative relationships fail to stand, possibly leading to the loss of U.S. strategic interests in Asia.
As for Abe, Koizumi's successor, the most critical requirement for avoiding lame duck syndrome is to sustain public support on a high level in order to keep his members in his control. As he inherited a substantial share of public support from Koizumi, it is somewhat questionable whether he can continuously preserve this public support on his own.(12) It is most likely that he will follow Koizumi's steps into nationalistic politics.
The advocates of nationalism, Japanese right-wingers, are most likely to view their yielding to China and South Korea as a humiliation. For them, this sense of humiliation seems to outweigh any consideration of national interests.(14) It is very unlikely that Japanese nationalism could be diluted easily. This seems to have left the U.S. nervous, with no choice but to take those actions on its governmental and congressional level toward Japan.
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