HONG KONG — Japan’s domestic politics have been hit by an earthquake, but despite the rhetoric of the incoming prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, do not expect any significant change in Japan’s foreign policies.
The Democratic Party of Japan’s foreign policy platform is centered on a less-slavish following of Washington, coupled with building links to Asian neighbors. A dozen years ago, when Asia was in economic crisis, such a policy would have given Japan a clear regional leadership role. But Japan failed to assert itself in the face of U.S. opposition.
Now, however, the situation is far more complex, thanks mainly to the rise of China, as well as the conundrum over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. There are also contradictions galore in the party’s platform.
The party imagines that because Japan’s trade with China now surpasses its trade with the United States, Tokyo should emphasize the establishment of an East Asian regional economic community. But this assumption fails to recognize that much of Japan’s trade with China, South Korea and Taiwan is in components for products that are then sold in third countries, not least the United States.
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