A mixed reaction in Japan on Bush re-election

In his first reaction to the election results that saw his friend returning to the White House with a stronger public support than four years ago, Koizumi vowed to strengthen further the Japan-US alliance by saying that he hoped the mutual trust that have been built up so far would have a positive impact on bilateral ties. He also expressed his firm desire to strengthen further the Japan-US alliance in the global context, without elaborating what he intended to mean by using that term 'global context'. We can assume that Japan's military presence in Iraq was what he had in mind for the term, and if so, we can also predict without much complication that the Japanese government will take all necessary steps to extend the period of Japan's military presence in Iraq after the present term expires in mid-December. But if the government is feeling relieved about the outcome of the US election, the country in general is not at all in line with that official position.

I was traveling outside Tokyo on the day vote counting was going on in the United States. Most of the Japanese people that I came across in a town situated about 150 kilometres west of Tokyo were hoping for a change in the US leadership, and the first signs that Kerry might lose came as shocking to many of them. A majority of those who shared such a view had nothing to do with politics, more so with politics that extends its reach globally. Yet, unlike the leader of their own country, they were hoping that a regime change in another country with so much importance would make the world a relatively better place to live.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Public opinion in Japan on US election was mostly formulated around the Iraq war issue, which more than 70 percent now firmly believe to be wrong. Those who think the war in Iraq was a naked breach of international rule no doubt had their faith on John Kerry, as they might have thought he probably would do something to correct the wrong steps taken by the pervious administration. But what they obviously didn't count was the emergence of strong religious fundamentalism within the US heartland that saw in George W. Bush a crusader who would move forward aggressively against any Jihadi force anywhere in the world and voted en-masse to ensure his victory.

Within Japan's political landscape too there is a sharp division between those who are happy to see Bush retuning to the White House and those who find it not so promising at all. The Secretary General of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Tsutomu Takebe, didn't waste time to call the Bush victory a vote of confidence in a strong president who bravely fights terrorism. But the tone of LDP's junior partner in the coalition, the New Komeito, differed widely as its leader Takanori Kanzaki appealed to Bush to work with the international community to achieve world peace and stability. Opposition parties in Japan too were cautious in expressing their views.

Katsuya Okada, President of the Democratic Party of Japan, also urged Bush to abandon the unilateral approach and work closely with other countries to find a solution to Iraq problem as well as on other important issues. Noting that the US election results showed the nation was sharply divided over the war in Iraq, the leader of the Japanese Communist Party urged the Bush administration to change drastically its policy on Iraq.

But Koizumi and his party are not the only group in Japan responding favourably to the US election results. Japanese business leaders as well as stock markets too responded favourably to Bush re-election. As the Democratic Party is traditionally seen by Japanese business groups as more willing to create pressure on their country, Japanese investors and business circles expressed relief that US trade pressure is not likely to increase in coming days. Nonetheless, they are also concerned about the general health of the US economy. The chief of Japan Association of Corporate Executives cautioned against US unilateralist positions and the enormous fiscal and international payments balance deficits that now are burdening the US economy.

For Koizumi administration the immediate priority would most likely be to follow the line that Washington is to pursue at least in two vital issues, namely Iraq and North Korea. Japanese officials earlier expressed concern over John Kerry's comments favouring bilateral talks with Pyongyang as they considered the idea a threat to the ongoing six-nation arrangement that Japan considers much more effective in putting constant pressure on North Korea. Kerry's failure to win the White House must have pleased them

On Iraq issue Japan appears to be poised to extend the dispatch of the self-defence forces. This is more because having built up mutual trust with Washington by supporting the Iraq war; Tokyo is now intent on building on that foundation by standing firm on Iraq. And for Koizumi, keeping troops in Iraq beyond the present time limit would take him further closer to Bush, no matter whatever his own people might think about that.