Diplomacy of Hatoyama Government Starts	No.652 October 6, 2009
		Premier Hatoyama Yukio had a summit meeting on September 23 with US President Barack Obama, followed by his speeches in English in the United Nations General Assembly and in the Security Council. His first diplomatic step was warmly welcomed. But his rhetoric in the talks in the summit meeting and addresses in the international organizations contained abstract agreements and decisions. His language will be tested by his subsequent commitments, and the image will be proven fragile without concrete actions. FLOWERY LANGUAGE AND CONCRETE ACTIONS Controversial Issues Avoided Premier Hatoyama had his first summit meeting with President Obama, and the two leaders cleverly left the thorny issues untouched. Instead, they performed to show confidence between the two nations and confirmed the US-Japan alliance as the key. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Social-democratic Party (SDP) and the Kokumin-Shinto incorporated articles to propose revision of the Status of Forces Agreement and to engage in reviewing the US military alignment and presence in Japan in the trilateral agreement before formulating a coalition government. But Premier Hatoyama did not refer to ‘a proposal for’ or ‘engagement to review’ the contentions during the top leader talks. President Obama did not make unreserved demands, responding to his counterpart in a fraternal manner. The US leader strove to do so because some US media had rated recently one of the Hatoyama’s essays as anti-US orientation and that the DPJ had sought ‘a more equal footing’ with the United States. Furthermore, the long, loyal Japanese partner, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was completely defeated in the elections and the US administration takes a watch-and-see policy for a while. President Obama is expected to visit Japan in November and until that time the issues on suspension of the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of the US-led war in Afghanistan, policies on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and reduction of CO2 gas emission remain home assignments. Contradictions coming from Nuclear Umbrella On September 24 Premier Hatoyama delivered a speech in the United Nations General Assembly, pointing out five challenges: in (1) the international economic crisis, (2) climate change, (3) nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, (4) peace-building, development and poverty, and (5) establishing East-Asia Community. He addressed in the UN Security Council too, declaring to firmly maintain the three non-nuclear principles* in order to create a world without nuclear weapons. Premier reaffirmed the three principles, which was, though significant as a refusal of the LDP’s explicit assertion to ‘arm Japan with nuclear weapons’, which came out in the last months of its regime, the rhetoric reveals contradictions: How will the DPJ disclose the alleged secret bilateral agreement on entry of US nuclear weapons into Japan, how will it legislate these principles and counter the US nuclear umbrella which Japan has enjoyed? Practical measures will be mattered. Much less realistic is the assertion of President Obama, who emphasizes ‘the world without nuclear weapons’. He told: the US will decrease strategic nuclear arms which need heavy financial burden but maintain ‘effective’ nuclear capabilities as long as other nations have such weapons. It admits the existing nuclear powers but not allow new comers to have such weapons. His ‘world without nukes’ is an ideal to come in the far future. We must not dance to the flowery language but analyze cautiously what his government intends to do in real term. ‘Welcome’ is Too Early Premier Hatoyama was hailed with appraisal by European nations when he pledged that Japan would reduce the greenhouse gasses by 25% of the level of 1990 by the year 2020 in the meeting on climate change. The goal means, however, the lowest of the necessary reduction level and it needs agreement from major emitter-countries in accomplishing the targets. It will face resistance from the domestic industry circle too. No concrete image for a low-carbon-consuming society has yet been visualized. A welcome is too early. Ending War is First Task In terms of the issue of peace-building, development and poverty, Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya proclaims that instead of the refueling service in the Indian Ocean Japan could assist Afghanistan in reconstructing the nation and improving people’s life. But these tasks should be possible only after an end of the war. Without this prerequisite such involvement will be ‘soft assistance’, including funds, to continue the war on the side of US and NATO countries. We must carefully watch diplomacy of the Hatoyama government. *Japan prohibits possession, production and entry of nuclear arms.