Obama arrives, tussling with Japan's fledgling Liberal PM

By Li Hongmei People's Daily Online

U.S. President Barack Obama kicks start his Tokyo leg Friday as the first stop of his 9-day maiden tour to Asia. What is left open to speculation during Obama's two-day stay in Japan is whether the U.S. new administration would face strains when dealing with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's brand new Japanese government, which has pledged to steer a diplomatic course less dependent on its long-time ally and forge closer ties with Asia; and whether Obama's coming would salve the simmering feud long frayed over a U.S. military base.

The U.S. security relationship with Japan seems more subtle than ever, with Japan's newly elected Liberal administration putting on hold a deal concluded in 2006 that involves plans to move a major U.S. Marine base on Okinawa. Even ahead of Obama's departure, the debates about the future of the U.S. Futenma base and its nearly 4,000 marines already posed a major test to the U.S.-Japan military alliance. As one of the most significant diplomatic moves, the issue of Futenma relocation has stood as a stark challenge to both Obama's resolve to carry out a sweeping realignment plan for the U.S. troops in Japan and Hatoyama' s campaign promise to stop being a yes-man to his Western ally.

At the time, the two sides still remain so far apart on the base move that Senior White House Asia adviser Jeffery Bader told reporters Monday that Washington does not believe the base issue is "ripe for resolution or a focus" of the two-day visit.

Hatoyama's hesitation on a final decision reflects long-standing skepticism among the Japanese progressives about whether the country needs so many U.S. troops, even if most generally agree the presence has somewhat boosted regional stability. The PM has walked the tightrope since he took office in September----while keenly aware of his promises to lighten the load on Okinawa, which makes up less than 1 percent of Japan's land but hosts about 75 percent of all the U.S. bases, he has also tried his utmost not to much upset the U.S.

Even so, Hatoyama has already unsettled his ally by his initiative to create an EU-like Asian club, or East Asian Community, which is interpreted as a move to alienate the U.S., and his pledge to pursue a relatively independent diplomacy to distance his country from its closest ally, despite his assurances the U.S.-Japan alliance is at the core of Tokyo's diplomacy.

Some in Washington are equally worried by his square refusal to accept any deadlines for signing off on the realignment deal in time for Obama's arrival, which was bluntly laid bare in two of the U.S. high-profile and unusually pointed visits to pave the way for Obama's Japan trip.

Although it is still too early to rush a conclusion that some distrust would be fostered between the five-decade-old allies, it is at least not an auspicious beginning for the Obama administration that has announced "we are back" after years of neglect in Asia.

Obama's Asian trip this week seems, as it is, designed to showcase American staying power in the Region. But assuaging anxiety and starting to redefine a direction for the U.S.-Japan alliance will be the first challenge facing President Obama before other critical issues are unfolded in focus following his footprints.