[whiteperil] Sean: Fukuda and Aso speak

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Posted by Sean:
Fukuda and Aso speak
http://whiteperil.com/posts/1190083370.shtml


   Since we all know that polls are the last word in reliability, Yasuo
   Fukuda supporters can take comfort in [1]last week's Asahi poll. 53%
   of voters polled preferred Fukuda as the new Prime Minister, while 21%
   supported Taro Aso.
   Of course, that poll was taken on 15 and 16 September, and a lot can
   change in the run-up to an election. Fukuda and Aso appeared at
   Shibuya Station on Sunday to lay out their policy positions for the
   public, now that they're the only two remaining contenders for Prime
   Minister this coming weekend. The Asahi probably [2]has the best
   overall summary. Both took care to play to the LDP's rural voting base
   by promising to address economic inequalities between urban and
   non-urban areas. (Aso assured voters that he did not support unbridled
   market liberalization and competition--as if we needed to be told
   that.)
   They also addressed foreign policy:

     Disturbed by the serious souring of Japan's relationships with
     China and South Korea during the Koizumi era, Fukuda was trying to
     mend the ties. Abe's visits to the two countries soon after he came
     to power have changed the atmosphere between Japan and these
     countries. But Fukuda appears to be hoping to bring fundamental
     changes to these important relations.
     Aso vowed to promote the "arc of freedom and prosperity" initiative
     he proposed as Abe's foreign minister. This initiative is based on
     the idea of supporting countries that share such basic values as
     freedom and democracy. But his vision of the "arc" doesn't include
     China and is therefore criticized as an attempt to create a network
     of countries around China to contain the expansion of its regional
     influence.
     Aso seems to be advocating a dual approach to dealing with China
     that combines dialogue with diplomatic maneuvering to put a brake
     on its influence.

   There's a transcript of a lecture Aso gave about his "arc" vision
   [3]here. It might be noted that he doesn't mention post-Soviet Russia
   as part of the "arc of freedom and prosperity" either, and in a way it
   comes off as a more pointed omission than China, because he discusses
   the democratization and EU membership of the Baltic States and the
   need for greater stability in Georgia and Ukraine.

     The objective is for us to help democracy take root in a region
     that we envision as an 'arc of freedom and prosperity,' extending
     from the Baltic Sea to the Black and Caspian Seas.

   Hmmm...any ideas what we might be arcing around? (He does mention the
   importance of improved relations with both the PRC and Russia at the
   beginning.)
   North Korea, of course, is one of the biggest issues. The issue of the
   Japanese abductees is always in play here, and voters liked Asoâs firm
   line. Fukuda [4]promises to take a more flexible approach:

     In Osaka, both candidates addressed the North Korea abductee issue.
     Fukuda stated, âI want to be the one to solve this problem,â and
     his indicated that he had resolved to effect normalization of
     Japan-DPRK relations through dialogue. Aso stated emphatically,
     âWithout pressure, no dialogue will get off the ground.â

   Abeâs approach was to patch things up with economic heavy-hitters
   China and South Korea while taking a hard line toward economic empty
   set North Korea. It was popular. The abductee issue tends to be
   back-burnered in favor of nukes at the six-party talks, so Japan has
   essentially resigned itself to trying to resolve the problem with
   catch-as-catch-can support from its allies. But Iâm not sure there is
   a resolution. The DPRK has been jerking around the families of
   abductees (notably poor Megumi Yokotaâs parents) for years now. Maybe
   there is no approach thatâs going to get Japan the information it
   wants.
   It wasnât just Fukudaâs position on the DPRK that came off as dithery;
   his delivery was shaky, too. Aso was more confident; on the other
   hand, he hides his lust for power about as well as Hillary Clinton
   does, and his glee at being in the running for the top spot was
   possibly a bit too naked. But there are plenty of points that could be
   scored and lost this week. And as the Asahi notes, neither of them
   really explained how he planned to work with the newly strengthened
   opposition parties. For now, Fukuda still has the support of all the
   major factions.

References

   1. http://www.asahi.com/politics/update/0916/TKY200709160117.html
   2. http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200709180057.html
   3. http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/press/enzetsu/18/easo_1130.html
   4. file://localhost/var/www/powerblogs/whiteperil/posts/%E2