Aya Igarashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
WASHINGTON--U.S. Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican Party nominee in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, discusses his intention to make relations with Japan and other allies in Asia his highest priority if elected president, in an essay written for The Yomiuri Shimbun.
In the essay, the 71-year-old senator from Arizona clearly distinguished his position from that of the Democratic Party's policy of emphasizing the connection between the United States and China more than that with Japan.
In the essay "Putting Our Allies First," written together with Sen. Joseph Lieberman, McCain outlines the diplomatic strategy for Asia he hopes to implement should he win the 2008 presidential election.
In the essay, McCain and Lieberman describe the alliance between Japan and the United States as "the indispensable anchor of peace, prosperity and freedom in the Asia-Pacific for more than 60 years," adding "its importance will only grow in the years ahead."
McCain and Lieberman also outline what they expect from Japan: "We hope and expect to have a partner in Japan that is willing to assume a role in international affairs that reflects its political, economic and self-defense capacities, and that is willing to think creatively and ambitiously about strategic issues."
Finally, the two express their support for Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
It is the first time McCain has expressed his diplomatic strategy for Asia since March, when he gained enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination when the party holds its convention in September. Lieberman was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000 and unsuccessfully sought the party's nomination for president in 2004. He was reelected to the Senate as an independent in 2006 and endorsed McCain for president in December. His name is being bandied about as a possible choice for U.S. secretary of state if McCain wins the presidential election.
(May. 29, 2008)
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