Posted on 10/18/2004 1:50:56 AM PDT by kattracks
Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - Two of Japan's most powerful politicians, in quick succession, effectively have endorsed President Bush in next month's election, in contrast to a recent poll suggesting that the Japanese people generally favor the Democratic candidate.
On Saturday, the secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Tsutomu Takebe criticized Sen. John Kerry for his pledge to hold direct talks with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program and other issues.
"To negotiate [with Pyongyang] over Japan's head on issues including nuclear development would be exactly what North Korea wants," Takebe said in a speech in Niigata, Kyodo news agency reported.
A day earlier, Takeba had been even more direct in his views, saying in a radio program: "I think there would be trouble if it's not President Bush [who wins the election]."
"For instance, Mr. Kerry wants to handle the North Korean issue bilaterally, which is out of the question," he added. "We're now in the era of multilateralism."
Late last week, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also made remarks suggesting he would prefer a Bush victory.
Asked about the U.S. election, Koizumi told reporters: "I don't want to interfere in another country's election, but I am close to President Bush so I want him to do well."
Koizumi drew flak from opposition politicians, and chief Cabinet secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, the government's main spokesman, said subsequently that the ties between Japan and the U.S. were solid irrespective of the election result.
Takeba's comments on North Korea echoed Bush's own response to the direct-talks proposal, which Kerry enunciated during the campaign's first televised debate on Sept. 30.
Kerry said Bush's policies had left the world a more dangerous place, citing efforts by North Korea and Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. He said he would, as president, hold bilateral talks with Pyongyang that would cover the current nuclear crisis and other issues.
Bush responded that bilateral talks would cause multilateral efforts to resolve the crisis to unravel, adding "that's exactly what Kim Jong-il wants."
Japan is one of five countries involved in negotiations aimed at pressuring North Korea to dismantle its nuclear programs. It is also, together with South Korea, arguably most vulnerable to North Korean military aggression.
The U.S., Japan, South Korea, China and Russia have held three rounds of talks in Beijing with the North Koreas, although all ended without resolution. A fourth round was to have been held by the end of last month, but Pyongyang demurred.
Apart from the common ground on handling North Korea, the Koizumi and Bush administrations have also cooperated closely in other areas, including the Proliferation Security Initiative, an exercise aimed at preventing the illegal shipment of WMD and related cargoes.
Koizumi sent 550 non-combat troops to participate in the U.S.-led effort to rebuild Iraq, in Japan's largest foreign military mission since World War II.
In doing so, he weathered significant domestic opposition.
In a poll published by the liberal Asahi Shimbun newspaper last Friday, 51 percent of respondents said they wanted Kerry to win the election, and 30 percent backed Bush. The paper surveyed 1,000 randomly-selected adults two weeks ago.
See earlier story:
Kerry's Policies and Views on North Korea Questioned (Oct. 01, 2004)
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The Liberal Democratic Party support Bush , naturally . They know which way the wind is blowing . The populace on the other hand , are a different plate of sushi . I would venture to say that 65-70% are against the Iraq war and do not support Mr. Bush . Some of my best Japanese friends vehemently oppose the Bush administration .
Here we see a former enemy of America set with high tech weapons of self-defense, freedom to pursue its own agendas, support from two modern hemispheres, in economic competition with its victor, in voluntary alliance with its victor, and in full support of the world order that was established during the Cold War and beyond.
Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and China: pay attention. We're winning. Live free or die.
Everybit helps. But I wish the relationship were much more reciprocal on trade (not an unimportant issue).
Where would you be if McArthur had simply been content to negotiate an end to World War II and leave the military regime in place?
Too many Japanese get their news from our mainstream alphabet news services. Thank goodness, their leadership can see beyond this and are willing to take the risk and do what's best for the country rather than what's popular at the moment.
"Too many Japanese get their news from our mainstream alphabet news services."
Even the Japanese-language news slavishly follow ABC and CBS when it comes to left-right issues.
I can't count the number of significant events that never even hit the Japanese media, and others are reported only in carefully edited form. When you look at the information the Japanese are given, a poll opposing Bush is not surprising.
How about SKoreans...who do they want?
I would venture to say that according to the polls, 57 percent of americans oppose the war in Iraq, but 54 percent support Bush overall. Opposing the war in Iraq is not the same as opposing bush. Besides, I suspect the japanese do not know kerry well enough to know that he is not an acceptable replacement for bush. My guess is that an "unnamed democrat" would run ahead of Kerry.
Most (in S.K.) don't like Bush but haven't the faintest idea about what a John Kerry is. (of course, like all nations in Asia I travel, the mainline media and books prominently in bookstores up front all tell the peons what to think and who to hate (particularly Bush).
The world will suffer with the French/German, Kerry attitude in world affairs. Kerry would be a disaster and the terrorists would certainly celebrate a Bush defeat with a nutjob like Kerry taking over. This is, without a doubt, the most important election of our lifetime.
These must not be among the "foreign leaders" Kerry had talked to who supported him.
A bleeding heart bullshitter like John Kerry won't better anyone's position anyhwere by trying to sit down in tea and sympathy sessions. North Korea is a rogue nation and will have to be dealt with at some point in time by it's neighbours or the wider community. Kerry will never take the right path on this issue and if he did, everyone knows he'd change his mind the next day.
"Credibilty Zero" BUMP.
ping
Risk:
We nuked Japan twice, then helped them modernize. They have supported the US from the get-go. We beat Germany, helped them modernize and they have tried to bilge the US at every turn. My guess as to the root of the difference: something must airborne and infectious spreading from France
shaggy: I knew a guy once who held back his thoughts/feelings/emotions to the extent that he developed an ulcer. I'll use my mighty power of inference to posit that your gut is doing fine ;)
,,, mate, the space to comment just had to be filled this time round. :)
Countries with Leaders That Are For Bush: China, UK, Britain, Poland, Russia
Countries with Leaders That Are For Kerry: Cuba, North Korea, France, Iran
Gee, who to vote for?!?
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