FT、NYT、WP社説 on 日本政権交代

　FT⇒FT.com / Comment / Editorial - Sun rises on a new era for Japan

It is perfectly acceptable to point out that Japan’s future is intertwined with that of Asia and that a one-dimensional foreign policy of subservience to Washington is inadequate. But there are ways of reaching out to Asia and of asserting Japan’s national interest without causing jitters in Washington.
　
Japan must tell the US clearly what it can and cannot do, both in terms of military support, say in refuelling ships in the Indian Ocean, and in other areas, such as transfer of environmental technology, where it has much to offer.
　
Critics are right to point out that the DPJ is a mixed ideological bag. Now it has gained power, it must prove it can rally around a coherent and pragmatic set of principles. Japan’s voters have revealed themselves to be extremely skittish. They will not settle for anything less.

　NYT⇒Editorial - Japan’s New Leadership - NYTimes.com

One concern: Mr. Hatoyama’s suggestion that Japan not renew the mandate for its ships on a refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of United States military operations in Afghanistan. President Obama is implementing a new Afghan strategy. Japan should continue its risk-free mission, at least through next spring.

　WP⇒Shake-Up in Japan - washingtonpost.com

Can the Democratic Party of Japan, a mix of former LDP politicians, ex-socialists and civic activists, succeed where the LDP has failed? One irony of the party's reform message is that its behind-the-scenes leader is Ichiro Ozawa, a former LDP boss with a knack for power politics.

Japan needs further restructuring of an economy that depends heavily on exports to support less-efficient sectors such as construction and agriculture. Greater reliance on domestic demand would help both hard-pressed Japanese families and the United States, insofar as such a policy might reduce Japan's trade surplus: The DPJ has several pro-consumption proposals, from lower highway tolls to increased support for couples with children. Alas, the party has been less clear about how it will pay for these goodies, no small omission given that the national debt is already almost twice Japan's gross domestic product. Unfortunately, too, the DPJ bought the votes of Japan's farmers with promises of money and protection.

There will no doubt be room for negotiation with the Obama administration, perhaps over such issues as the basing of U.S. Marines in Okinawa. But the threat of a nuclear North Korea makes Japan's neighborhood too dangerous, we think, for the government in Tokyo to seek a rupture with Washington or for the Obama administration to let one develop.