Relations With Japan At A Low As Obama Visits

nytimes.com:

WASHINGTON -- President Obama will arrive in Tokyo on Friday, at a time when America's relations with Japan are at their most contentious since the trade wars of the 1990s -- and back then, the fights were over luxury cars and semiconductors, not over whether the two countries should re-examine their half-century-old strategic relationship.

Read the whole story: nytimes.com

Comments

[Wozzeck]

01:06 AM on 11/13/2009

Time to get out of Japan and Korea. The money could be spent on public health care.

[Realization]

07:38 AM on 11/13/2009

Time to get our and eliminate the trade deficits and one-way flow of technology.

As for health care, we should go to an efficient single payer system and find it through taxes. Done properly that could get us universal care with better results and cut costs from over 16% GDP to the 10% level of other developed nations.

I get lots of Radical Right Wing Fundamentalist denials that is possible but the U.S. is a can-do nation so, of course we can do as well as or better than others. As long as the RRWF crowd is held at bay, that is. Note: I consider myself a Conservative and contend that the RRWF have hijacked that honorable term and run it into the ground. I am also a fiscal conservative but understand the need for national policies and investment.

As for savings by bringing the military home, cut the deficit.

Rich Country, Strong Army. The Japanese got it right and that is the order. We need to adopt the slogan.

[thrdr]

11:40 PM on 11/12/2009

Well well. It looks like Mr. Hatoyama, unlike our own "Democratic" Party Prez, has a backbone, and is actually trying to keep his campaign promises. The U.S. should get its military base the hell out of Okinawa. And the Japanese government is ethically in the right with its changes of policy regarding U.S.-led military operations in the Middle-East and its own financial aid to Afghanistan. Hatoyama and the DJP look pretty good on the domestic end of things too. Looks like the Japanese people are going to get some change they can believe in, while Obama's idea of "moving forward" seems to consist entirely of maintaining the status quo as much as possible.

[THE JEDI 69]

06:56 PM on 11/12/2009

YEp I live here and thats so true Russia is gone..so they think..and NK is on the verge of collapse so they think....well les take our toys and go home....

[Realization]

07:39 AM on 11/13/2009

Where, may I ask, is here?

[Realization]

01:43 PM on 11/12/2009

Time to just get the troops out of Japan and realize that it is an economic relationship. And it is a relationship in which the Japanese get the best of every part. It certainly should be more equal. Let's do them the honor of instituting mirror image trade policies pro-rated for the last 50 years.

Seriously, Japan has been with the U.S. because we were the big boys on the block and provided a market (while their was controlled) and tech. They will want us as a balance with China but will go more and more with the PRC if trends continue as it. And one of those trends is our growing economic weakness due to loss of manufacturing, national wealth, and the ability to afford to project force.

Anyway, Japan can go nuclear in short order and with an aging population and lots of economic interests is not going to attack anyone in any case. Let them be their own deterrent or pay us far more for our protection.

We should be getting out of Korea, too.

Balance the trade deficit with both and China as well. More national security in that than in keeping troops out there.

Rich Country, Strong Army. In that order. The Japanese thought of that and were right. We need to adopt the motto.

[davidwayneosedach]

01:40 PM on 11/12/2009

Good! Then they can start paying for their own defense.

[sc300nc]

01:25 PM on 11/12/2009

Does the mess iah have his apology speech prepared yet?

[Deparis]

12:57 PM on 11/12/2009

You only have boy George to thank for all this.

[mcantwell]

12:38 PM on 11/12/2009

Interesting article.