Translated material
Bet on moderation
The Japanese Prime Minister has no time for Russia yet
Yesterday, the new Prime Minister of Japan, 71-year-old Yasuo Fukuda, gave a keynote speech in parliament. This speech was awaited with special attention in the country, because Fukuda became prime minister on September 25 after a serious crisis, when his predecessor Shinzo Abe, who unexpectedly resigned on September 12, actually admitted his inability to govern the state.Fukuda did not change Abe's cabinet much. 13 out of 17 ministers retained their posts. But the main task of the new prime minister was to restore the Japanese people’s trust in power, undermined by corruption scandals. The Prime Minister yesterday, however, did not utter the word “corruption”, but spoke a lot about the need to carry out reforms in the country and maintain a close dialogue with the opposition.
In foreign policy, Fukuda's key task is to extend the auxiliary mission of the Japanese naval forces in the Indian Ocean, where they refuel the ships of the multinational anti-terrorist coalition under the auspices of the United States in Afghanistan. The opposition, which has controlled the upper house of parliament since July, objects to the extension of the Afghan campaign law, which expires on November 1. But Fukuda said his office would soon submit a new bill to parliament to continue that mission.
Commenting on the first speech of the new Japanese prime minister to Vremya Novostei, Viktor Pavlyatenko, head of the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, suggested: “In Japan there will be more moderation and restraint in the approach to solving pressing internal and external problems. One can hope that this prime minister, thanks to his moderation, will achieve more results than the previous one.”
The new prime minister considers allied relations with the United States the “cornerstone” of his foreign policy. The problem of North Korea is highlighted as a priority. Japan intends to intensify diplomatic activities in the Asian region, with an emphasis on China and Korea. The goal is to normalize relations with North Korea. In this regard, Mr. Pavlyatenko reminded VN, there is a parallel with the course of ex-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who met with Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in 2002.
Russia took a modest place in Prime Minister Fukuda's keynote speech. “I will work hard to resolve the territorial issue and at the same time make efforts to develop ties between the two countries,” he said. However, in this regard, Mr. Pavlyatenko believes that little depends on the promises of the Japanese prime minister: “The influx of Japanese investment into Russia will depend on the state of affairs in our country.”
The main problem for the Japanese Prime Minister will be domestic politics. Fukuda will have to implement a package of difficult reforms inherited from Koizumi. These include pension and tax reforms, on which the prime minister will hold a national discussion. The “master of compromise” Fukuda touched upon social justice and minimizing the consequences of the separation of the city from the countryside, stabilizing the lives of the people on the basis of “carrying out policies with warmth.” He pledged to continue Shinzo Abe's post-Kyoto Protocol initiative and include the issue of greenhouse gases on the agenda of the G8 summit, which Japan will host in July 2008. However, Fukuda shied away from sensitive issues such as revising the constitution to reform the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
Fukuda-san's speech was very general. Mr. Pavlyatenko explained to VN that “the lack of specifics and a detailed plan is due to the rapidity of the events that took place” (meaning the quick resignation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe). “There is no formalized strategy yet, there are general things,” says our newspaper’s interlocutor.