Excerpts of Baker interview
The
following are excerpts from U.S. Ambassador Howard Baker's interview
with The Japan Times:
January 1, 2002
Q. How do you think the Sept. 11 tragedy has strengthened relations between
Japan and the United States?
A. It is clear that it has brought our countries even closer together. Your
prime minister and your Diet have acted expeditiously and effectively in
constructing the means for Japan to join in this combat (against) international
terrorism. . . . It is clear from many standpoints that the long-lived
friendship between Japan and the U.S. is even deeper and broader now than it was
before the terrible incidents of Sept. 11.
Q. You have said that you were disappointed that Japan did not send Aegis
destroyers to the Indian Ocean for logistic support for the U.S. forces.
A. The Aegis ships are the most modern and the most effective of all the ships
of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. But it is clear to me now that forces that
were dispatched by Japan are entirely adequate and they are appropriate to the
challenges and circumstance.
Q. Do you think the Sept. 11 incident has opened the way for Japan to discuss
exercising its right to collective defense, and do you expect for this to
happen?
A. The question of collective defense is one that Japan must address. It is not
appropriate for me to comment, nor for the U.S. government to try to advise
Japan on how it conducts itself in that field, given the requirement of the
Japanese Constitution. My guess is that Japan will continue to grow as a strong,
sovereign nation, a full partner in world affairs. And how that translates into
particular actions are matters that are entirely up to Japan and to its
government.
Q. Japan is hosting an international conference on rebuilding Afghanistan. What
kind of role do you expect Japan to play for Afghan reconstruction?
A. I think Japan has a major opportunity to play an important, and perhaps even
pivotal, role in organizing relief efforts and reconstruction efforts.
Afghanistan is much closer to you than it is to the U.S., and you have a deep
understanding of the dynamics of the relationships in this part of the world.
Q. What are your views on the current progress of Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi's structural reform steps? Some key U.S. administration officials have
indicated their impatience with the slow pace of reform, such as the disposal of
nonperforming loans.
A. I think there is a concern in the U.S. and other parts of the world about the
pace of recovery in Japan. But it's not impatience. We understand that the
measures that probably will have to be taken are difficult. I think the U.S.
understands that there is a level of determination to address these issues in
Japan. We feel optimistic that Japan will address these issues in a Japanese way
and it will succeed . . . and that Prime Minister Koizumi is leading in the
right direction.
Q. Are you worried that there are no signs of recovery in the Japanese economy?
What are your prospects for the U.S. economy as it suffers from the impact of
the Sept. 11 incident?
A. Of course, I'm worried. I'm worried about the future in general, but in the
United States, while we have been in recession for a while, I see optimism that
our economies are turning the corner, and I believe that we will see a
significant improvement some time in the second to third quarters of next year.
As we progress and see recovery from our recession, I think that you will also
see progress and recovery from your recession.
Q. You faced a difficult situation over Okinawa issues as you just arrived in
Japan in July right after the alleged rape incident by a U.S. serviceman. How do
you think you can reduce the burden of Okinawa people for hosting U.S. military
bases?
A. The first negotiations I conducted when I arrived in Japan were the question
of how to appropriately protect the rights of American servicemen but at the
same time honor the provisions of the Japanese law, which resulted in turning
over the American serviceman to Japanese custody to face trial in Okinawa in
Japanese court. That was an unhappy situation, but it was the right way for it
to be handled by both countries.
There is a great concentration of American forces in Okinawa, and it has long
been the policy of the U.S. that we want to reduce and minimize the impact of
American forces in Okinawa. But it is also true that Okinawa represents an
essential, important and indeed vital part of the mutual-defense link in the
Pacific. For the foreseeable future, I do not see a significant reduction in the
American presence in Okinawa.
Q. Do you think the Sept. 11 incident has even raised the importance of Okinawa
to the U.S. strategic interest?
A. I do think so. . . . If we are to be more than a theoretical alliance and
prepared to defend freedom in Japan and the United States in the Pacific region,
we must have a presence (in Okinawa).
Q. Okinawa's demand for setting a 15-year time limit on the use of a new airport
to take over the functions of Futenma Air Station has been left unsolved. Why is
the U.S. against setting such a time limit?
A. The U.S. understands it is difficult to see (what will happen) in one year in
the future, let alone 15 years in the future. I do not think it would be wise
either for the U.S. or Japan to place a time limit on facilities such as the air
base in Okinawa.
Q. How do you respond to the calls by local people for revising the bilateral
Status of Forces Agreement?
A. The SOFA is essential, as long as there is an American presence in the
region. There must be an orderly way to treat issues. In the recent Okinawa rape
incident, the SOFA provided reasonable assurance that the American serviceman
receives all the rights he is entitled under the Japanese law to the extent
possible under the American law. It is not the SOFA that needs to be changed, it
is rather its implementation that must be continuously monitored and improved as
time goes on.
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