Reshaping U.S.-Japan partnership

In Tokyo, the president should aim at restoring faith in Washington's ability to adjust to Japan's new politics. Old habits of lecturing Tokyo on its responsibilities must end.

For his part, the new Japanese prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, needs to find policy solutions that address today's problems rather than yesterday's politics and make clear who is calling the shots. Speculation abounds on who is making decisions on alliance policy, as recent statements from such key figures as the defense minister, the foreign affairs minister and the prime minister shift and even occasionally conflict.

Much like the Obama administration, Japan's new policy group is learning to act as a team. But this is not a typical transition. The August electoral rout by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), ending almost a half-century of nearly uninterrupted single-party Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) rule, represents the first real effort to implement a two-party alternating system of government. The scale of the DPJ's win (308 of 480 seats in the Diet) suggests a real desire for change, and public dissatisfaction with the government remains intense. Japan's economy and social welfare infrastructure badly need attention. The conservative LDP lost because it was unable to meet demands for good governance, and the DPJ will be voted out in four years if its members do not produce visible results.

In the short term, there is a real danger that the U.S.-Japan alliance will become a pawn in Japanese political rivalries. The diplomatic partnership cannot be seen as controlled by one political party and should not reflect only one party's agenda. U.S. policy-makers should be mindful of those in Japan who seek to use the alliance for their own political ends.

Nor should Washington underestimate the tremendous expectations among Japanese voters. For years U.S. policy-makers have bemoaned Japan's lack of ability to act and change. Now, as Tokyo announces new initiatives, the perception is growing in Japan that Washington fears the potential adjustments that real change might suggest for alliance management.

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