Japan, U.S. have differences over range of security issues

Hatoyama said he will not renew the mandate for Japanese ships on a refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan, which expires in January. U.S. officials say the decision is up to Japan, but that they would welcome an alternative contribution to Afghan security.

Officials including Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada have said Japan's future contributions would likely be civilian rather than military. Japanese media said at the weekend that the government was preparing up to US$5 billion in aid for Afghanistan, to be announced during Obama's visit.

The New Government's Take on Nukes

Japan has long been ambivalent about nuclear arms. Many Japanese use the fact that Japan is the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks as a platform to campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Hatoyama backs Obama's calls for a world free of nuclear arms and has promised to uphold Japan's three “non-nuclear principles” banning the making, possession or introduction into the country of nuclear arms. He has also said he will seek a U.S. pledge not to bring nuclear-armed vessels into Japanese ports. But Japan benefits from a nuclear “umbrella” provided by Washington, something many see as important given China's growing military might and North Korea's nuclear program.

Japan's Asia Strategy Change

Hatoyama advocates a new East Asian Community modeled after the European Union, prompting some concerns in Washington that the grouping might exclude the United States. Hatoyama wants to deepen ties with China and has said he will stay away from Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine to war dead, seen by many in Asia as a symbol of Japan's military aggression in the early 20th century.

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