Zardari's Japan Visit

The 31-point joint declaration, issued at the conclusion of President Asif Ali Zardari's three-day visit to Japan, states both countries decided to further strengthen mutual relations, encouraging private institutions, to start joint ventures, and enhance cooperation in the fields of finance, banking institutions, agriculture, food, mineral development and energy sector for the sake of enhancing comprehensive partnership.

Peace and Stability
The Pakistani president and the Japanese prime minister reemphasized that peace and stability in South Asia is necessary for peace and prosperity in Asia but throughout the world. Earlier on, during comprehensive dialogue between the two leaders, both countries decided to strengthen mutual relations as well as trade and economic ties by promoting comprehensive partnership.
The president also called on Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara. The president said that Japan was an important friend and trade and development partner of Pakistan. There was a need to further promote the existing cooperation, he said. He emphasized on the need for Japanese cooperation in various fields, including trade, development, security, energy and institutional capacity building. The Japanese foreign minister assured continuing Japanese assistance for revival of the Pakistani economy.

President Zardari's visit to Japan highlights the continuity of stable relations between Pakistan and Japan. There is no doubt about the fact that Japan has played a significant role in providing technical assistance in Pakistan's social, economic, academic, technical life in addition to financial assistance and cooperation for development. In view of the changing regional situation, Japan's support of the Pakistani viewpoint shows the deep relations and mutual trust between people of the two countries. There is no doubt that relations between the two countries will be further strengthened because of the president's recent visit.

Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes
President Zardari exchanged views with the Japanese leadership on an important issue and highlighted Pakistan's concern in that regard. He said that why cannot Japan cooperate with Pakistan in the field of nuclear energy, and provide it nuclear energy for peaceful purposes if it can do the same for India? Pakistan also deserves that and there is no justification of denying Pakistan nuclear technology. The president made it clear that India had forced us to become a nuclear power. Pakistan does not want to join the arms race in the region. There is no truth in the media reports that the number of our nuclear weapons is greater than those of India. The fact is that the United States showed discrimination against Pakistan with regard to civilian nuclear deal, and refused to provide nuclear technology to Pakistan for its economic and social development in spite of its needs and insistence. This was the gist of the president's earlier interview with the Japanese media, in which he was asked if he would raise the issue of nuclear cooperation during his meetings with the Japanese officials. The president said that he did not know what questions will be raised at that point. He said that the objective behind his visit is to apprise the Japanese Government and people of the situation and challenges confronting Pakistan. The president emphasized on the Japanese automakers to install plants in Pakistan.

A delegation of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Japan also called on the president. On the occasion, the president said that PPP activists should make every effort for welfare and development of the Pakistani community in Japan.

This was his second visit to Japan after he took charge of the president's office. Meeting with Japanese Emperor Akihito and formal negotiations with Prime Minister Naoto Kan were part of this visit's schedule. During the meetings, mutual relations, regional situation and important regional and international issues were reviewed.

Zardari also called on members of the Japanese cabinet and MPs, in addition to renowned businessmen. It is good news that Pakistan and Japan, while agreeing to have close cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, defense, education, health, disarmament and nuclear nonproliferation, decided to continue dialogue and political consultation, and to start joint ventures.

Eliminating Terrorism
In his meeting with President Zardari, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, while reiterating his resolve for full cooperation with Pakistan in the war on terror, emphasized on regional peace and stability and showed interest in playing role in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He said that Japan would fully cooperate with Pakistan in water and power resource management and infrastructural development.

Both leaders decided to enhance contacts between MPs, traders, youth, and public in addition to training of defense officials and cooperation between the two countries' military education institutions. The Pakistani Government will work on simplifying the process of issuing visa and granting immunity to Japanese traders and tourists.

Economic Issue
In his meeting with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda, the president said that Pakistan considered Japan a large market for its exports and desired joint ventures, consortium and trade contacts with Japan.

Addressing the Japan-Pakistan Business Cooperation Committee, President Zardari declared that strong economy was inevitable for victory against the terrorists and their supporters. He also emphasized on the need to provide employment opportunities to the people. The president recalled to the Japanese leaders that the government took courageous steps for improving the demolished economy, which he had inherited and adopting the way of reconciliation with all political forces instead of repeating the history of political clashes. As a result of this consensus, extraordinary constitutional changes have taken place.

Despite ravages of floods and international economic depression, the Pakistani economy is improving. It is expected that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will grow by 2.3 percent this year. Pakistan is a natural course for trade and energy for Central Asia and Western Asia. The Japanese investors can fully utilize Pakistan through joint and individual economic ventures. The investors will be provided full security and all the possible facilities.

Demand of Situation

President Zardari's visit basically springs from the need that Pakistan-Japan relations should move toward mutual social and economic development and technical information, practical sharing and financial assistance from Japan should be utilized in the best possible manner to eradicate the social and economic problems confronting the country.

There is a need to follow the Japanese strategy to end uncertainty. Academic, practical, and technical capacity of every individual should be built so that the country takes rapid strides to development on modern footings. It is regretting to note that a UNDP [United Nations Development Program] report has disclosed that Pakistan lags behind Laos, the smallest country on the world, in terms of human development in the list of 169 countries. Pakistan stands 125th throughout the world. If we closely review president's visit and Pakistan-Japan friendship, they have positive message for us, namely social and economic stability, and coordinated effort in that regard is the demand of the situation.

Change of Guard in Japan: Naoto Kan Elected Prime Minister

Naoto Kan, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) leader, was voted in as the country's new prime minister on 4 June, with his Cabinet to be launched early next week roughly one month out from an expected upper house election. Both upper and lower houses of parliament separately as elected Kan as the new premier in a majority vote, replacing Yukio Hatoyama, who abruptly announced his resignation on 2 June, only about eight months after sweeping to power.

Introduction to Kan
The 63-year-old Kan, who was deputy prime minister and finance minister in the Hatoyama Cabinet, became Japan's 94th leader, at a time when the country is struggling with a two-decade-old economic slump and filled with public mistrust in politics. Kan, the fifth prime minister since 2006, intends to launch a new Cabinet on 8 June.

According to a senior DPJ lawmaker, Kan is planning to name Yoshito Sengoku, who was state minister in charge of designing national strategy, as the government's top spokesman. Kan agreed with the DPJ's small coalition partner, the People's New Party, that the two will continue to form a government together.

Kan is Japan's first prime minister in 14 years who was not born into a long-established political family, unlike many of his immediate predecessors, including Hatoyama and Taro Aso, whose grandfathers were also prime ministers.

The fact that Kan is not a hereditary politician will likely help increase his party's popularity, as many voters are tired of seeing prime ministers who hail from elite families resigning one after another. But the leadership change is unlikely to lead to a major shift in Japan's economic and foreign policies.

Kan has said he will continue the unfinished work of Hatoyama, while doing his utmost to restore public confidence in the DPJ ahead of the House of Councillors election expected in July.
Kan said his first job as prime minister would be to ''rebuild the country,'' in a speech following his 291-to-129 victory in a DPJ presidential election earlier in the day over sole contender Shinji Tarutoko, a less well-known DPJ lower house member who called for ''a generational change'' in party leadership. He also called for unity within the ruling party in the run-up to the upper house election.

Previous Cabinet's Unpopularity
Attention is focused on to what extent Kan, an activist-turned politician, will be able to lessen the influence of Ichiro Ozawa, the outgoing DPJ secretary general, when he runs the government. One of the major reasons for the previous Cabinet's unpopularity was money scandals associated with Ozawa, regarded as the most powerful figure in the DPJ, who has decided to resign with Hatoyama.

Many of those who supported Tarutoko in the election are affiliated politically with Ozawa, who heads an interparty group of about 150 lawmakers, by far the biggest in the ruling party.
The decision to pick Sengoku, who is known to be critical of Ozawa, as chief Cabinet secretary suggests that Kan is trying to create an image that the new government is distancing itself from the kingmaker.

Hatoyama and his entire Cabinet stepped down together in the morning, ahead of the Diet's vote on the new leader in the afternoon, after floundering in public opinion polls, caused by his mishandling of where to relocate a key US military base in Okinawa Prefecture and money scandals.

The Hatoyama Cabinet was formed after the DPJ's landslide victory in last summer's House of Representatives election, which ended more than half a century of almost continuous rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

But Hatoyama decided to resign because of growing concerns about the potential loss of many DPJ seats in the forthcoming upper house election. If all goes smoothly, Kan will deliver his policy speech and take questions from ruling and opposition party representatives in the Diet soon.

Officially, Kan will assume the premiership upon an appointment ceremony at the Imperial Palace, and until then Hatoyama will continue serving as premier. The schedule for the ceremony has not been decided, yet.

Challenges Ahead
As the country's sixth prime minister since 2006, Kan has to ensure his party's success in upper house elections scheduled in mid-July so as to guarantee the smooth passage of bills. During Hatoyama's eight-month tenure, the DPJ had to woo a coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Japan New Party to assure a majority in the upper house. But the ruling coalition has fallen apart.

The SDP joined the opposition and the image of the DPJ became increasingly sullied in the minds of the people, following Hatoyama's backtracking on a campaign pledge to move an unpopular US marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.

In the coming election, it will be difficult for the DPJ to hold its 54 seats in the upper house. A 'twisted parliament' seen in the past when then the opposition Democrats and their allies won control of the upper house may return, allowing the opposition to delay bills and jam the government's policy plans.

Handling Japan-US Relations
Another challenge for the new prime minister is how to handle Japan-US relations. When the opposition, the DPJ repeatedly criticized the ruling LDP for blindly following the United States and called for a equal relation with the US. In fact, there are no differences in principle between the two parties in protecting and strengthening the Japan-US alliance.

The failure of the outgoing cabinet to relocate the U.S. air base to a coastal area within the Okinawa Prefecture suggests that politicians' promises could be dishonored and that the interests of the people on Okinawa could be ignored but the Japan-US alliance has to be protected. Kan also has to understand that for his junior cabinet to stay in office longer, he has to formulate effective economic policies so as to escort the infancy of Japan's economic recovery into real growth.