DPJ leader tells Washington audience Abe destabilizing Asian region

According to China it was the DPJ that "nationalized" the Senkakus and caused all the problems.

I cant belie ve this guy. Would you rather have the useless and inept OBummer like we here in the US have. I would trade for a tough conservative like Abe any day. Someone has to stand up to bullies like china!

So essentially this can be boiled down to:

"Wah, wah, the LDP beat us in the elections. Japan should elect me and my party because we will do better for Japan!"

Politicians bad-mouthing the other side gets old everywhere. At least they're not asking for Abe's birth certificate.

Imperfect though Abenomics may be, the DPJ has still to put together a lucid and credible economic plan.

“Domestically, the Abe administration has now made its authoritarian tendencies clear and internationally, the Abe administration could move beyond the realm of healthy nationalism and become a destabilizing factor in East Asia,”

Kaieda seems a bit overkill, but what he said has some volid ground though.

I am surprised by Kaieda’s conspicuous speech given at Brookings which is considered the most influential think tank in the US or in the world for that matter.. Apparently Kaieda must have done his homework before reaching American soil.

It’s not secret, for quite some time, people in American’s conservative camp such as Brookings have been frustrated by Abe. His revisionist and ultra-nationalistic agenda have not only alienated Japan’s neighbors in a big time, but also damaged American’s national interest in Asia.

Granted, Japan is the longtime ally of the US, but the US can’t afford to let Japan push S.K into China’s arms. Speaking of China, the US does not want to have a war with China just because of fulfilling Abe’s nationalistic ambition. Japan should know that Americans have invested trillions in China, that is a huge economic impact at stake. It would be absolutely naïve to believe that the US will forego its national interest for sake of Abe.

For people who may have some doubt: Hegal's Asian trip can provide you with the degree of the complexity in the region as well as American's difficult postions. in a larger sense, both Kerry and Hagel have failed to make meaningful progress in Eatern Asia so far, for some part, Abe bears a chunk of blame.

I am sure that the usual nationalists will soont jump out of their seats to go " ramape" .:)

Ok, but why are they telling the people in Washington? It makes no sense. I understand that they want to use gaiatsu, or external pressure, but this just goes to show that the majority of Japanese are still servile to the US. Japanese, both the left and the right, are still extremely sensitive to what the US thinks.

But this won't mean a thing, since Abe is just doing what Washington is telling him to do, anyway.

@MGigante

"Wah, wah..."

"Japan should elect me..."

The "wah-wah" argument gets old on internet forums every day. Adversarial politics is better than the alternative: China!

DPJ leader tells Washington audience Abe destabilizing Asian region

DPJ a useless party with useless ideals. It now has memory loss, Kaieda has conveniently that it his party that nationalized the Senkaku Islands.

The DPJ proved itself to be a friend of Communist China and not one of it's old ally, the USA. Leaders like Hatoyama, Kan and then Noda were better liked by Communist China than they were by the people of Japan.

Good riddance and may the Leftist DPJ never rise again!

I'm always amazed at Kaieda's tattletale.

The "wah-wah" argument gets old on internet forums every day. Adversarial politics is better than the alternative: China!>

Yeah, I agree. But adversarial politics are simply unnecessary considering Japan already has an adversarial relationship with an aggressive/expansionist China.

Guy sounds like he has a perpetually blocked nose, but I like him.

Guy is a goose, banging on about the opposition is what they do when not in power, it's all meaningless rubbish, comparing himself to Obama is dumb and explains why he and his fellow left wingers were booted out of govt.

Abe may not be the silver bullet Japan needs but at least he is not sitting on his hands like the DPJ mungs did while in power.

Would far rather have Abe in power than this fool.

I have a very strong dislike for all politicians no matter who they are and what they stand for, its all about them.

The international stage is not the best place for Party political politicking let alone The Centre for Asian Studies. Banri Kaieda address belies a lack of policy alternatives, and further strengthens Abe's position. Banri Kaieda needs to offer clear creditable alternatives, is Banri Kaieda seriously suggesting he would enter any form of negotiations over current issues with Xi Jinping government? Democratic Party of Japan needs offer a balance and communicate their intentions clearly.

The DPJ proved itself to be a friend of Communist China and not one of it's old ally, the USA. Leaders like Hatoyama, Kan and then Noda were better liked by Communist China than they were by the people of Japan.

Well first of all, Kan and Noda were incredibly pro-US. They didn't want what happened to Hatoyama happen to them. And all Hatoyama asked for, was to move the bases in Okinawa out of Okinawa prefecture. The US wouldn't have that, because the bases are strategically important to the US, not because the US is concerned for Japan's national security. So why not? Is not Japan an independent nation? Or is it merely dependent on US?

Being an ally of the US does not mean that Japan has to bend to the every will of the US, which is what Japan has pretty much doing after the WW2, if you studied Japanese history. I suggest reading Magosaki Ukeru's "戦後史の正体".

The US does NOT treat Japan as an ally. As Magosaki put it, it treats it as a convenient pawn for the US interests.

Unfortunately, the decisions politicians make cause the citizens hardship or joy. Success or failure. Prewar symbolism in education is making a comeback. Textbooks are being revised, glossing over questionable events. The constitution will be revised to allow for Japan to become the aggressor The young are being prepared for war!

Abe is a dangerous nutjob.

Luckily his handlers are keeping him at bay.

Good riddance and may the Leftist DPJ never rise again!

Can't see it happening myself, but that's because they're all useless and has nothing at all to do with their political orientation.

“Abe is a dangerous nutjob.” You mean Abe is armed and dangerous?:) I’d be inclined to disagree. On the contrary, it might be entirely possible that Abe can reinvent himself by doing something dramatic to turn the tide as Richard Nixon did in 1972.

I think that comparing with 6 months ago, Abe, apparently is becoming more realistic and pragmatic after realizing his nationalistic views have cost Japan a great deal, making Japan to be isolated ever before in the international community. As the matter of fact, countries such as India, Vietnam and even Australia normally would be sympathetic to Japan’s position regarding to the Chinese regime have been keeping distance from Abe. Further, Abe’s wish to form some sort of quasi alliance in Asia to counter the Chinese's expansion has gone nowhere, not to mention his proud Russian diplomacy reached its expiration date of shelf life.

By and large, LDP maybe is better of two "evils" in Japan's party politics so let’s wait and see how Abe will do the next.

For anyone who would be interested, please read a recent interview given to an old dude but very influential American conservative think tank - George Shultz . It should provide some of interesting perspectives on the relationship between Japan and China.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/opinion/AJ201404090010

Is Abe a destabilizing force in Asia? Absolutely. But would the DPJ be a better choice for Japan? Absolutely not.

Japan needs something new. A party that is rich in statespeople who are diplomatic and do not anger the neighbors; who work for the best interests of Japan, but in a way that benefits all of Asia. At the same time, we need people with economic vision (which, arguably, Abe has), but with the sense to implement that vision by bringing out the best that lies with Japanese people, not simply by printing money and laying concrete.

I hope it happens while I'm still here to witness it.

Japan needs something new. A party that is rich in statespeople who are diplomatic and do not anger the neighbors; who work for the best interests of Japan, but in a way that benefits all of Asia. At the same time, we need people with economic vision (which, arguably, Abe has), but with the sense to implement that vision by bringing out the best that lies with Japanese people, not simply by printing money and laying concrete.

There WAS such a party, which was DJP with Ozawa or Hatoyama as the leader.

Ozawa clearly has fantastic vision, which is realistic enough to warrant interest. His groundwork is laid out on his 1993 book, "Blueprint for a New Japan", which has garnered many interests. Unfortunately, his plan was so fearsome for the bureaucrats that wanted to maintain the status quo, that he was the target of a very, very, very persistent media driven character assassination, which must have run for more than 15 years. He was accused of things that he was completely innocent of, which barred him from becoming the PM of DJP.

Ozawa and Hatoyama proposed the ASEAN+3 economic union which is akin to the EU. It was Ozawa that tried to vastly improve the ties with China.

If Ozawa had been the PM of DJP as planned, then none of this would have happened.

Thomas Anderson,

I honestly thought Ozawa had a chance. He was a person who could think out of the box and was one of the rare Japanese politicians who didn't suck up to the U.S.A.

Unfortunately, those with money and influence didn't like this and he got trounced.

A great pity.

He's correct, but he's only making the point because he is the opposition, and at a time when some of Abe's hawkish views are being called into question world-wide. If the DPJ were in power, this guy wouldn't admit to history any more than Abe, although he might be less adamant about revising it.

What a self-serving dick head? I don't know who will vote DJP with leader like Kaieda.

at least a refreshing discourse amid all the stupid right-wing patriotism served by the Jiminto