Japanese foreign and security policies under Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama-some Changes, A lot of continuity

What will be new and what will remain the same on Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s foreign and security policy agenda in the months and years ahead? ‘Probably very little and most of it’, is a possible answer when-as will be done below-examining the issues and some space for changes on the Prime Minister foreign and security policy agenda. To be sure, Japan’s new government which took office in September 2009 is currently reviewing some of the policy initiatives and policies which gradually but nonetheless fundamentally transformed the quality and impact of Japan’s regional and global foreign and security policies initiated and implemented under former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi from 2001-2006. Amongst others, Koizumi back then oversaw Japanese military providing US forces engaged in the war in Afghanistan with logistical support in the Indian Ocean (2001-2010), dispatched military personnel to Iraq (2004-2006) and had his government adopt a series of laws enabling Japan to participate and contribute to international military missions. Currently, parts of that ‘upgrade’ of Japan’s regional and global security profile, promoted and indeed taken for granted by previous governments run by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), are subject to change and adjustments. For starters, Prime Minister Hatoyama announced to re-visit some of what he called ‘asymmetries’ of the US-Japan security alliance aiming at transforming the alliance into one of ‘equal partners. ’ In fact, an envisioned ‘emancipation’ within the security alliance with Washington was the central issue on his election campaign agenda and along with it went plans to re-visit and possibly change an US-Japan agreement on the re-location of US forces in Japan, possibly further reducing the US military presence in Okinawa.