Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Fear of A Sinitic Planet or Something

Shorter version of today's Washington Post editorial:
If the U.S. government does not ease up on insisting that the perfidious Hatoyama Yukio deliver on the 2006 Futenma-to-Henoko agreement, Hatoyama will split his party in two by choosing to draw Japan closer to China. So let us give Japanese democracy a chance because the current government, which will deliver a decision in May, cannot decide anything important before the House of Councillors election in July.
Times are admittedly tough in the print industry. Many in the industry are hanging by a string. But is the Washington Post abandoning checking even its own editorials for clarity and continuity?

As for the swipe at the Democratic Socialist Party, has Fukushima Mizuho or anyone under her been demanding that all U.S. troops leave Japan? There is no mention of a total withdrawal of U.S. forces from Okinawa, much less Japan as a whole, in the party manifesto. Or is it the People's New Party that is demanding total withdrawal?

One should perhaps not complain, of course. The author of this piece is at least considering the possibility that it may be unwise for the U.S. government to continue pursuing a full court press on the Government of Japan in an attempt force a commitment to the 2006 agreement.

1 comment:

Harrison said...

Well put. I really enjoy your blog, a great resource. Do you think Japan will ever grow closer to China as it rises on the international scene and the United States perhaps recedes? Is anyone going to be out of China's reach? Or will Japan's tendencies to protectionism keep it an independent yet strong international power?