New Delhi (AsiaNews) -Yukio Hatoyama, the leader of the victorious DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan), in an essay written before the elections, wrote “The era of US-led globalism is coming to an end”. This prevision had been received with interest in India since the country is aiming at playing a leading role in the global arena.
This topic had been taken up by Nayan Chanda in a leading article of The Times of India and since it reflects the common feeling of many Asian nations it is worth of consideration. Any suggestion of declining American influence, that too coming from a country long considered a “floating American aircraft carrier”, will cause concern in a New Delhi worried about rising China.
Taking tips from the article writtne by Chanda, it is important to see things in their context. Hatoyama passing remark, taken out of a larger essay written for a domestic audience on the eve of an election, is hardly the basis for a drastic change in direction. Some contentious issues in the US-Japan relationship will surely be addressed, and perhaps more vigorously than they were by the erstwhile LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) administration. But with Japanese budget and fiscal deficits soaring to stratospheric levels, it is hardly surprising that questions will arise about, for instance, why Japan should pay nearly 90% of the cost of stationing US troops on its soil.
There is no doubt that the style and tone of Japan’s relationship with China will change, if only for compelling economic reasons. China remains Japan’s largest trading partner, far outpacing the US, and has emerged as a key component of Japan’s future prosperity.
For the sake of the Indian businessmen we must also note that seven of the top ten Japan’s trading partners are Asian, but India is not one of them.
In the interest of bettering ties with Beijing, Tokyo can also be expected to quietly shelve the US-sponsored fledgling “alliance of democracies” that involves India and Australia. Japan remains a deeply conservative nation, worried about Chinese power an ambition, which regularly manifest itself in military rivalry an prickly territorial disputes.
These are only speculations, but India must consider any possible scenario and be ready for any chance. Japan, the country known for its frequent earthquakes just experienced its first political tremor in over half a century. Washington must be anxious, while Japan immediate neighbors are intrigued. Indian observers may be nervous and waiting to see the first moves of the new Japanese government.