Hatoyama Faces Difficult Task of Rebuilding Ties with U.S.

Tokyo, Jan. 4 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama faces a difficult task of rebuilding ties with the United States this year, which have been dampened in a dispute over the fate of a key U.S. base in Okinawa Prefecture.

Japan's diplomatic clout, including its influence on other Asian
nations, may wane unless the deadlock over the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma
air station in Ginowan is broken.
Tokyo is looking for an alternative to Camp Schwab in Nago of the
same southern Japan prefecture, the site designated to take over the Futenma
base's functions under a 2006 bilateral accord. But Washington opposes any
major change in the accord.
The Futenma issue casts a shadow over the two countries' alliance
at a time when the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of the revised
bilateral security pact this year.
Hatoyama has been struggling to meet contradictory demands from
Washington, Okinawa citizens and a tiny partner in his ruling alliance.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton late last month told
Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki that Washington
does not support any relocation plan that is different from the existing
one.
The Social Democratic Party, one of Hatoyama's junior ruling
coalition partners, is opposed to the existing relocation plan. The party
proposes the U.S. territory of Guam as one of possible alternatives to Camp
Schwab.
Hatoyama's difficulty may increase further depending on the outcome
of the mayoral election in Nago, the host of Camp Schwab, on Jan. 24.
It will become extremely difficult to implement the existing plan
if an anti-Futenma candidate wins, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.
Another potential blow to bilateral relations is a coming report by
a Japanese government panel on its investigation into secret nuclear pacts
between the two countries concluded decades ago.
Hatoyama's foreign policy features an emphasis on China, a move
highlighted by a hastily arranged meeting between Japanese Emperor Akihito
and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.
The focus now is whether Hatoyama can solve thorny issues with
China, including natural gas development near disputed waters in the East
China Sea.
Hatoyama aims to make a breakthrough on the gas development row by
holding top-level discussions with Chinese leaders.
Hatoyama has also taken care not to anger South Korea. In the
recently published high school teaching guides, the Japanese education
ministry did not make any direct mention of the disputed Sea of Japan
islands, called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.
Hatoyama hopes to avoid stirring up any anti-Japan sentiment in
South Korea, as this year marks the 100th anniversary of Japan's annexation
of Korea while President Lee Myung Bak is expected to visit Japan this year.
Tokyo hopes to establish future-oriented relations with South
Korea, with which Japan and the United States need to work closely in order
to secure an early resumption of six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear
disarmament.
In November, Hatoyama will host a summit of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo.
As a proponent of an East Asia community, he aims to lead
discussions on regional trade liberalization and cooperation to fight
infectious diseases and natural disasters.