Kato: Japan-U.S. relationship key

Aya Igarashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

WASHINGTON--Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ryozo Kato has returned to Japan after completing his 6-1/2-year posting, the longest ever for an envoy to Washington.

During a recent interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, Kato, who will become Nippon Professional Baseball commissioner, talked about the shift in the Japan-U.S. relationship and his perspective on the future of Japan-U.S. ties.

Photo: Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ryozo Kato

Comparing his mission as a diplomat to baseball, Kato said: "I'm not a cleanup hitter but rather the second batter, who is good at fielding. As a team manager, I always tried to do my best to facilitate players to show their true abilities at the right moment."

"The Japan-U.S. relationship has strengthened and Japan received more favorable recognition--mainly as a result of taking the initiative in the fight against terrorism," he added.

Talking about his efforts to build personal connections in the United States, Kato said: "I think the key is to be a Japanese with the strongest affection for our own country. You wouldn't be respected if you kowtowed to the U.S."

Talking more about the bilateral relationship, Kato said: "We need ceaseless management to maintain our alliance. For example, it's good if the U.S. military and Japan's Self-Defense Force officials in charge would have more meetings or dinners together if needed. But it would be meaningless if they didn't use the time to flesh out specifics of important issues--including a possible system to preserve confidentiality of national defense-related information, discussing deterrence against war, as well as specific operational plans."

Some experts are concerned that the Japan-U.S. relationship would worsen if the Democratic Party, which is thought to favor stronger ties with China, takes the reins of power of the U.S. government. Both nations have enjoyed good relations under the current administration of Republican President George W. Bush.

Asked about such concerns, Kato told the Yomiuri, "I'm optimistic about it."

Explaining why, Kato added, "Sen. Barack Obama is the only politician who delivered very meaningful speeches about the bilateral relationship with Japan ahead of the respective U.S. visits of [former] Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Obama's a very pragmatic person.

"Whoever will become the U.S. president, it's important that Japan remain a nation that is not negligible, I believe."

(May. 29, 2008)