A historical event has recently taken place in Japan. For the first time in more than 50 years the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has suffered a defeat. And the opposition Democratic Party has come to power under the slogan of making changes. How will the change of power affect Japan and its foreign policy? How are the agreements achieved during Premier Yulia Tymoshenko’s visit to Japan in early 2009 being fulfilled? What is the difference between Ukraine’s and Japan’s democracies? What features do Ukrainians and the Japanese have in common? Japan’s Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Ukraine Tadashi IDZAVA answers these and other questions in his interview to The Day.
ON POWER SWITCHING HANDS
Mr. Idzava, could you comment in more detail on the words Yukio Hatoyama, the Democratic party’s leader and Japan’s new prime minister, who said after the victory: “These elections mean that power will switch hands, the old policy will be replaced by a new one, and the old system of governance will yield to the new one in which the supreme power will belong to the people rather than to ruling bureaucrats”?
“Above all, I would like to note that this change of power is a new experience for Japan where the Liberal Democratic Party has stayed at power for over 50 years. Japan is a democratic country, just like the countries of Europe and America. But, unlike these countries, power switched hands too infrequently in Japan, partly owing to the reforms carried out by the Liberal Democratic Party. However, this state of affairs had negative aspects as well.
“Discontent with the government and the Liberal Democratic Party was growing, which led to a stunning victory of the Democratic Party. Hatoyama gives frequent speeches in various places, and today I would like to speak about two motives, rather than the three that you mentioned.
“The first motive, or the main change, refers, above all, to the removal of groups with certain interests and benefits, which emerged as a result of the long-time rule of the Liberal Democratic Party, in order to make politics work for the good of the people. The second motive refers to policy planning. Very strong bureaucracy used to deal with policy planning in Japan. At the same time, bureaucrats were not elected by people, and thus they bore no political responsibility before them.
“Now the new power, represented by the Democratic Party, advocates changing the situation so that politicians, rather than bureaucrats, will approve political decisions. I am essentially speaking about moving from bureaucratic to political governance, which has been the main change after Hatoyama’s government came to power.”
What makes this approach innovative?
“In principle, the new power has chosen the English system, which strictly divides government and the red tape. It depends on the new Cabinet whether they will succeed in implementing this model. Different countries have different systems of state governance, and their successes vary. For example, the US, Germany, Great Britain, and France have their own systems, but I cannot say that they are functioning perfectly. It is a matter of politics, and there is no hiding from it.
“The Democratic Party emphasizes that if the people are not satisfied with the results of its work and the new model fails, the party will lose the next elections, and this is what a democracy should be.
“Since this is our first experience, it is hard to say definitely whether it succeeds. We used to have governments that consisted of a prime minister, ministers, and bureaucrats, while the Democratic Party was aside, and the policy was carried out through coordinated work of these two sides. In other words, there was a double structure of policy planning, where it was not evident who was responsible for the political course. Now the government formed by the Democratic Party will be fully responsible for carrying out its policy.”
ON THE NEW GOVERNMENT’S PRIORITIES IN FOREIGN POLICY
What is Tokyo’s opinion on the recent refusal of Barack Obama’s administration to deploy a US missile defense system in Europe, which has evoked very equivocal reaction in Europe?
“I do not yet know Tokyo’s official position concerning this question. At the moment, the prime minister together with the minister of foreign affairs are in the US, where they have a scheduled meeting with President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. They may be discussing this question.” (The interview was taken on Sept. 22. – Author.)
Will there be changes in your country’s foreign policy now that the Democratic Party has come to power?
“Asian countries are Japan’s closest neighbors. And, most likely, Prime Minister Hatoyama, like his predecessor, will pay a great attention to South Korea, China, and other Asian countries. In terms of security, not only Asian countries, but also our relations with the U.S. are crucial. Like under the previous governments, work will be done in these two directions.
“Speaking about the short-term prospects, the emphasis will be made upon the questions connected with North Korea and aid to Afghanistan. And the long-term prospects refer to cooperation not only with Asia, but also Russia, Ukraine, and other countries of the world.”
BETTER BUSINESS TIES BETWEEN UKRAINE AND JAPAN
Let us return to Ukraine. Is Japan’s foreign policy regarding Ukraine going to change?
“There has not been any official discussion on the governmental level concerning this question. But I consider that there will be no big changes in the questions of foreign policy pertaining to European countries. It is clear that I, as the Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine, will not change my desire to assist as much as I can in the relations between our countries.”
Then, perhaps, you can already sum up the realization of agreements achieved during Yulia Tymoshenko’s visit to Japan, specifically regarding the involvement of Japanese companies in Ukraine’s “powerful modernization”?
“I would like to say that after Tymoshenko’s visit to Japan, the business ties between our countries have become much more active. On the basis of the agreements on environmental issues and energy consumption, Japanese companies have been working very actively to implement Japanese technologies. I expect many projects to be carried out in this sphere.”
UKRAINE’S FUTURE AS A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY
Ukrainians highly appreciate the help and grants from Japan. What makes your government allot money for these kinds of projects?
“Japan is lending support not only to Ukraine, but also a number of other countries. In particular, it supports the democratic initiatives in the countries of the former USSR. Japan supports the initiatives of the Council of Europe concerning advancement of the democratic initiatives in Ukraine. We hope that democratic principles will be further implemented and that Ukraine will develop into a mature democratic state.”
Could you express your opinion about Ukraine’s democracy? Why is it different from Japan’s democracy?
“I would not want to comment directly on the discrepancies between the two democracies.
Generally speaking, Japan has an inviolable rule of law, including the Constitution, which is supported by the people, and people trust it. Besides, in our country courts carry great authority, and the judiciary power is absolutely independent. And the Japanese people take this situation as granted. Courts should be absolutely independent from the government and parliament. The overall activity of the state is based on the Constitution and respect for laws. If there is something the matter with any law, it is first amended and then, again, followed.
“I must add that Ukraine is a young country. It has, essentially, less than 20 years of experience. I think that with the assistance of the Council of Europe Ukraine will grow into a mature democratic country.”
Have you noticed any common features between Ukrainian and Japanese people?
“I have many times noted that Ukrainians appreciate their culture and history. And in this they are like the Japanese. Any country has culture that is based on its history. If a country does not pride itself on its history and culture, it is not a full-fledged state. This pride in one’s own history and culture is a common feature for Japan and Ukraine.”
So history is a very important component of nation building?
“In principle, history cannot be chosen. But it is important to act in the future, looking back at one’s own history. I regard this to be a very important thing.”
