Nervous About Japan

Secretary Gates is in Japan reportedly pressuring the new Hatoyama government not to cut such an independent path, particularly when it comes to security policy:

Worried about a new direction in Japan's foreign policy, the Obama administration warned the Tokyo government Wednesday of serious consequences if it reneges on a military realignment plan formulated to deal with a rising China.

The comments from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates underscored increasing concern among U.S. officials as Japan moves to redefine its alliance with the United States and its place in Asia. In August, the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) won an overwhelming victory in elections, ending more than 50 years of one-party rule.

For a U.S. administration burdened with challenges in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea and China, troubles with its closest ally in Asia constitute a new complication.

A senior State Department official said the United States had "grown comfortable" thinking about Japan as a constant in U.S. relations in Asia. It no longer is, he said, adding that "the hardest thing right now is not China, it's Japan."

I don't think the fundamental U.S.-Japan alliance is in jeopardy (if the chips were down, do people really think Japan is going to tilt toward China or the U.S.). What is in jeopardy - at least for now - is the client state relationship. This is, as the above quote illustrates, unsettling for many in the foreign policy establishment but I think it fits comfortably alongside President Obama's UN speech:

Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone. We have sought - in word and deed - a new era of engagement with the world. Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.

The problem, of course, is that Washington doesn't really believe this. As evidenced by the hand-wringing over Japan, there is a deep resistance to letting even very friendly, pacifistic countries chart a more independent course.

(AP Photos)