EDITORIAL: Kan-Obama meeting

Japan's relations with the United States were "reset" Sunday, so to speak, with Prime Minister Naoto Kan's first summit with President Barack Obama in Toronto.

The two leaders reconfirmed the bilateral alliance as "a cornerstone" of peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region. Kan told Obama of his intention to visit the United States in September while the United Nations General Assembly is in session.

The issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma triggered the collapse of the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama born of last year's historic regime change. Hatoyama's mishandling of this issue was largely to blame for this sorry outcome.

Seen from the larger picture of Japan-U.S. relations, it was unfortunate for both partners that it took just one base-related issue to sour their relationship, not to mention that it also resulted in the replacement of Japan's top leader.

Because of this background, both Kan and Obama must have positioned their meeting in Toronto as the first step toward rebuilding a relationship of trust.

Kan promised to honor the Japan-U.S. agreement made by his predecessor. Obama responded that he appreciates the difficulty this matter poses for Tokyo, and that he will strive to make the U.S. military presence more acceptable to the region.

Obama urged Kan to visit the United States. We presume Obama wants to rebuild summit diplomacy with Japan that fell into dysfunction during the Hatoyama administration.

But the political challenge of relocating the Futenma base has not become any easier for Tokyo.

The great majority of Okinawans are opposed to the proposed move to the Henoko district in Nago under the current Japan-U.S. agreement. Should the Kan administration go along with this plan and decide on the location of the new runway and the method of construction by the end of August without obtaining the understanding of the people of Okinawa, the Okinawans are naturally going to resent this bitterly.

And should the Okinawa gubernatorial election in November be won by a candidate opposed to the relocation within the prefecture, the prospects of executing the plan will become even more remote.

Kan is hoping to win the understanding of Okinawans by doing his utmost to lighten their burden while proceeding with the plan under the Japan-U.S. agreement. In Toronto, he personally sought Obama's cooperation.

But Kan should have been more direct in his conversation with Obama. He should have told Obama frankly how hard it is for Okinawans to accept the present situation and why it is absolutely necessary to alleviate their burden, if the Japan-U.S. security framework is to be stably maintained.

We understand it was their first meeting, and the time was limited, too. Still, we got the unmistakable impression that playing hardball with Obama was the last thing Kan wanted. But how can the two leaders build an ideal relationship for their countries if they dodge any difficult issue?

They agreed on continuing to discuss ways to "deepen" the bilateral alliance. The discussions are expected to be mainly about how to deal with new global threats such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change and major disasters, but these discussions could also develop into a review of the roles of the U.S. forces and Japan's Self-Defense Forces.

Kan told Obama, "It is important for the Japanese public themselves to think really about the significance of our alliance, and for them to think about the decisions for the future of our alliance." We, the people, need to keep seeking a solution to Okinawa's base-related problems in the bigger picture.

The deepening of the Japan-U.S. alliance and the alleviation of Okinawa's burden must be discussed as a package, and the entire nation must start the discussion. And it is Kan's responsibility to lead the discussion.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 29