Japan denies friction with US

AFP ^ | 11/02/09 | Kyoko Hasegawa

[TigerLikesRooster]

Japan denies friction with US

by Kyoko Hasegawa

Mon Nov 2, 1:57 am ET

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan's centre-left government on Monday denied US ties were being strained by a row over an American airbase, amid confusion over whether its foreign minister will travel to Washington this week.

The US State Department on Saturday said Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada would meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday, but within hours dropped mention of the meeting from Clinton's schedule.

In Japan, media reports suggested Okada was still seeking a meeting late this week, ahead of a Tokyo visit next week by US President Barack Obama, but that he was busy with parliamentary duties on Friday.

Asked about the confusion, Japan's top government spokesman Hirofumi Hirano told reporters on Monday: "It's not that ties between Japan and the United States are strained, it's just an administrative matter."

"At this point, nothing has been decided regarding such a trip," he added.

The new government took power in Japan in mid-September vowing less subservient ties with the US after decades of conservative rule in Japan.

[TigerLikesRooster]

There is a report in S. Korea which says that folks at DoD and Foggy Bottom say among themselves that Hatoyama is "Japanese Roh Moo-hyun." Probably true with regard to U.S..

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Zhang Fei]

Japan's centre-left government

Center left? Hatoyama is Japan's Ogabe. There is one key difference, though - Hatoyama doesn't hate his own country. The similarity is that both Hatoyama and Ogabe hate America.

[TigerLikesRooster]

There is one key difference, though - Hatoyama doesn't hate his own country.

Another difference is that his wife is UFO lady.:-)

[Last Dakotan]

..folks at DoD and Foggy Bottom say among themselves that Hatoyama is "Japanese Roh Moo-hyun."

Everybody knows that folks at DOD never describe an individual with words larger than one syllable.

[Zhang Fei]

The new government took power in Japan in mid-September vowing less subservient ties with the US after decades of conservative rule in Japan.

Subservient? Japan, which is not obligated to come to America's rescue in the event of war, is subservient, but the US, which is required to come to Japan's rescue, isn't? Japan, which has huge trade barriers against American goods, is subservient, but the US, which has no barriers to speak of against Japanese goods, isn't? Hatoyama needs to get back on his meds.

[Migraine]

Finally — a problem that is eminently solvable! Pull out of Okinawa, save money, divert military resources where they are needed, let the Japs pay for defending themselves which would help American competitiveness and stop the constant harping about our presence. It’s a win-win-win-win situation. It doesn’t get any better than that.

[Brilliant]

I thought Hillary and Obama were going to “repair” our international relationships.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Repair relations with Iran and N. Korea but screw the one with hither-to allies. That is probably what will happen. They already did it on Poland.

[avg_freeper]

I thought that once they were told "Cow and Chicken" was responsible and not "Dolphin and Whale" we would all be cool.

[AmericanInTokyo]

And YOU hate Japan, don't you?

(at least from your many posts on the subject).