India Rising

Throughout Washington's think tanks there has been a growth of programs and research on India. In part, this is supported by a willingness of Indian interests to support these endeavors. The American security community is also encouraging this work as a way to explore if Indian is a viable counter-weight to China's rise in Asia. More interesting is Japanese funding of a number of major projects to study a security partnership with India.

Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns' speech (noted below) heralding a tri-lateral India, Japan and US relationship reflects this activity. In October, both India's Ministers of External Affairs and  Defense visited Japan. Prime Minister Noda is expected to visit India at the end of December.

This month, November 12-14, Mumbai hosts the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2011 to showcase the nation's economic might.

Asia, the Americas, and U.S. Strategy for a New Century, Remarks by William J. Burns, Deputy Secretary, Remarks at World Affairs Councils of America National Conference, November 4, 2011, Washington, DC.

India’s rise will reshape the international system. The President has said that India will be “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.” We also want it to be one of the defining partnerships in the Asia-Pacific….That’s why, last year, our two countries launched a strategic dialogue on the Asia-Pacific to ensure that the world’s two largest democracies pursue strategies that reinforce one another. And we are launching a new U.S.-India-Japan trilateral consultation on regional issues.

US-INDIA ENGAGEMENT: LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS OF A NEW ASIAN SECURITY ARCHITECTURE. 11/14, 3:00-4:30, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Asian Studies, Heritage Foundation. Speakers: Bharat Karnad, Research Professor, National Security Studies, Center for Policy Research, New Delhi, Dr. Daniel Twining, Senior Research Fellow for Asia, The German Marshall Fund; Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow, Asian Studies Center, Heritage Foundation; Walter Lohman, Director, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation.

INDIA-JAPAN TIES: ASIA’S FASTEST GROWING RELATIONSHIP? 11/15, 3:30-5:30, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Asia Program, Wilson Center (WWC). Speakers: K.V. Kesavan, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation (India); Takenori Horimoto, Professor of Contemporary South Asia Politics, Shobi University; Daniel Twining, German Marshall Fund.

THE US-INDIA ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP: ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES. 11/16, 10:30am-Noon, Washington, DC. Sponsor: East-West Center. Speaker: Pravakar Sahoo, Visiting Fellow, East-West Center, Associate Professor, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University, India.

Japan Thursday

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE POLICY FORMULATION PROCESS IN JAPAN AND US PARLIAMENTS:  ROLES OF THE CABINET, CONGRESSIONAL STAFF, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, LOBBYISTS, PARLIAMENTARIANS, AND THINK TANKS. 11/3, 10:30am-Noon, Washington, DC. Sponsor: U.S.-Japan Research Institute (USJI). Speakers: Dr. Mikiyasu Nakayama, Professor, Division of Environmental Studies, University of Tokyo; Dr. Ryo Fujikura, Dean of The Graduate School of Environmental Management, Professor of the Faculty of Humanity and Environment, Hosei University; Mr. Paul Joffe, Senior Foreign Policy Counsel, World Resources Institute.

THE OZAWA PROSECUTION AND JAPANESE DEMOCRACY: THE 2009 AMENDMENTS TO THE PROSECUTION REVIEW COMMISSION LAW AND TURMOIL IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF JAPAN. 11/3, 12:30-1:45pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Sigur Center, George Washington University. Speaker: Carl Goodman, Professorial Lecturer in Law, George Washington University Law School.

PARTNERSHIP FOR RECOVERY AND A STRONGER FUTURE: STANDING WITH JAPAN AFTER 3-11. 11/3, 2:30-4:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: CSIS. Speakers: Thomas R. Nides, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources; Kurt M. Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Video Message from Jim McNerney, Chairman, President and CEO, The Boeing Company; Michael Green, Senior Adviser and Japan Chair, CSIS; Associate Professor, Georgetown University; Tim Adams, Managing Director, The Lindsey Group; former Under Secretary of Treasury for International Affairs; J. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President and Director, Global Health Policy Center, CSIS; Stacey White, Senior Research Consultant, CSIS; Jane Nakano, Fellow, Energy and National Security Program, CSIS; Kiyoaki Aburaki, Visiting Fellow, CSIS; U.S. Representative, Keidanren; Stanley Roth, Vice President, International Government Relations, The Boeing Company.

Noda and TPP: Too big, too soon

It is doubtful that Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda can manage Japan’s quick participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. He is likely to miss the deadline promised for the mid-November APEC summit in Hawaii. The Noda government wants to say yes, but it has no way of holding together the party or its government if it does.

Noda is constrained by Japan’s cumbersome and time-consuming decision-making. An increasingly organized opposition to Japan joining TPP also restrains him. There is a deep-seated doubt across the political spectrum that TPP is not in Japan’s national interest.

TPP supporters believe that such views can be countered by a campaign to correct these misunderstandings, but time is not on their side. The DPJ and other parties are split, if not outright opposed. The best that Noda may offer at APEC is a vaguely worded statement to eventually join TPP. The back strategy is a hope that by spring his government can offer a binding commitment.

Consensus manager
Noda is an old-style consensus manager, common among past LDP leaders. He is trying to make decisions based on a consolidation of views in his government at the cabinet level and those in his party, the Democratic Party of Japan. To do so, he has created consensus-creating groups both in his cabinet and party—the National Strategy Council and the Policy Research Council respectively.

The two sets of views will be turned into a unified position by the Joint Government-Party Executive Council headed by Prime Minister Noda. The test of this new process, unfortunately, is TPP. Further, Noda set an internal deadline of November 4, though preferably November 2 to coincide with the G-20 summit conference on November 3-4.

DPJ split on TPP, as is the LDP
The DPJ is split on TPP. The party’s TPP project team, headed by former METI minister Yoshio Hachiro, only started to debate the issue on October 28. Moreover, those in the DPJ opposed or having doubts about Japan joining the TPP have formed their own powerful group, led by former agriculture minister Masahiko Yamada. It is holding hearings that question whether joining the TPP would be in Japan’s national interests.

Former Prime Minister and DPJ Party President Yukio Hatoyama is part of that crowd. He sat in the group’s sessions and commented on October 21: “If we do everything the U.S. tells us what to do, we can’t jump to the conclusion that the country will get better. In my view, we should protect our country.”

Similarly, the leading opposition party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has also found itself facing the same dilemma. Debate has been centered in the party’s Foreign and Economic Policy Liaison Committee, led by former Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura who appears to oppose. LDP secretary general Hidenao Nakagawa, however did issue a report on October 27 calling on the party to seriously consider joining TPP.

The LDP opposition partner, New Komeito, has come out against TPP. It sees membership as a threat to Japan’s agriculture and domestic industry. Worse they accuse the DPJ of pandering to the U.S. with joining TPP only to “please the U.S. at the expense of agriculture” in order to “cover up” its “diplomatic blunders” over the last two years.

Public confused while fear rules 
The government ministries are also divided on how joining TPP will affect Japan, both economically and socially. While the Cabinet Office says GDP will be up .48 to .65% from the benefits of joining TPP, the Agricultural Ministry has its own study that claims that GDP will decline by 1.6% from the negative impact of TPP. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has countered with its own simulation that shows GDP will decline 1.53% if Japan does not join.

A Nikkei poll released on October 31 found 45% of the public approving TPP with 32% opposed. They appear to agree with Tokyo University Professor Motoshige Ito who argues that the Japanese economy since the bubble burst in 1990 has been behind the curve in terms of the global trend of trade liberalization. If Japan misses this opportunity, he argues, its economic fate will be sealed for the next decade or two, as other economies continue to grow and Japan’s does not.

Fear mongering by interest groups opposing TPP has spread through the media, spreading myths that everything from agriculture to medical services would be destroyed by TPP membership. The campaign is led by JA Zenchu, The Central Union of Agricultural cooperatives, which has launched a full-blown anti-TPP movement, having accumulated millions of signatures that it presented last week to the Noda Administration. Since those petitioners are potentially votes that could be cast now for the opposition in the next election, the DPJ, already unpopular, cannot ignore that factor. A rally with reportedly 3,000 TPP opponents was held recently in downtown Tokyo.

If Noda is going to overcome such opposition, he needs strong leadership and party support. He also needs more time. A November 15th deadline is simply not realistic.

William Brooks
APP Senior Fellow
October 31, 2011

American Competitiveness Reviewed

FOSTERING U.S. INNOVATION
11/2 – 10:00am, 2318 Rayburn House Office Building. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Technology and Innovation Subcommittee hearing on "Creating and Growing New Businesses: Fostering U.S. Innovation." Witnesses: Brink Lindsey, senior scholar in research and policy at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Julian Mann, co-founder and vice president for product development and research at Skybox Imaging; and Steve Dubin, former CEO of Martek Biosciences, senior advisor to DSM Nutritional Products.

U.S. INNOVATION CHALLENGES
11/2 – 10:00am, 2203 Rayburn House Office Building. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, TARP, Financial Service and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs Subcommittee hearing on "America's Innovation Challenge: What Obstacles Do Entrepreneurs Face?" Witnesses: Mr. Eric Koester, CMO and Co-Founder; Zaarly, Inc.; Ms. Lonna J. Williams, CEO, Ridge Diagnostics; Tsvi Goldenberg, Ph.D., CEOeem℞a.

TRANSFERRING AMERICA'S LEADING EDGE SCIENCE TO CHINA
11/2 – 3:00pm, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building. House Foreign Affairs Committee, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on "Efforts to Transfer America's Leading Edge Science to China." Witnesses: Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee; Thomas Armstrong, managing associate general counsel at the Government Accountability Office; John Holdren, director White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Charles Bolden, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Rick Fisher, senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center; Elizabeth Economy, senior fellow Council on Foreign Relations.

SCIENCE-TECH-ENGINEERING-MATH EDUCATION
11/3 – 10:00am, 2318 Rayburn House Office Building. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Research and Science Education Subcommittee hearing on "STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) In Action: Transferring Knowledge from the Workplace to the Classroom." Witnesses: Michael Beeth, Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh; Christine Sutton, Secondary Math Teacher, Girgil I. Grissom High School, Huntsville City Schools, Alabama; Robin Willner, Vice President, Global community Initiatives, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, IBM Corporation; Jason Morrella, President, Robotics Education and Competition Foundation; Jenifer Jones, Principal Clinical Scientist, Abbott Vascular. 

Historic Ceremony

November 2, 2011 at 11:00 am

U.S. Congress holds a ceremony to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Japanese-American veterans * of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442 Regimental Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service, United States Army, in recognition of dedicated service during World War II.

Participants: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY; House Speaker John Boehner, R-OH; House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA.

Location: CVC-Emancipation Hall, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC

*This is a collective medal that will be stored at the Smithsonian. Bronze replicas can be purchased.

Connecting to Japan

HOW DOES JAPANESE RAILROAD TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTE TO THE LOW-CARBON SOCIETY? 10/17, 1:00-2:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: US-Japan Research Institute (USJI). Speaker: Mr. Masaki Ogata, Vice Chairman of East Railway Company (JR East). 

WHAT COMES AFTER THE GREAT EASTERN JAPAN EARTHQUAKE? IMPLICATIONS ON THE JAPANESEAND EAST ASIAN ECONOMY, AS WELL AS GLOBAL ENERGY SECURITY AND NUCLEAR POLICY. 10/18, 10:30am-Noon, Washington, DC.  Sponsor: U.S.-Japan Research Institute (USJI). Speakers: Hironori Kawauchi, Senior Economist, East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank; Jane Nakano, Fellow, Energy and National Security Program, CSIS; Stratos Tavoulareas, Energy Adviser, Energy Technologies Enterprise Corporation; Yosihaki Abe, Operating Adviser, USJI. 

NOW AND MORE THAN EVER BEFORE: PROMOTING INTELLECTUAL EXCHANGES BETWEEN THE U.S. AND JAPAN. 10/25, 12:00-2:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Japan Commerce Association of Washington. Speaker: Dr. L. Gordon Flake, Executive Director, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation; Dr. Kent Calder, Director, Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. 

Republican Presidential Hopefuls Views of Asia

This week, both Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman released their views on foreign policy and gave speeches focused on America’s world obligations. Both seem to acknowledge that maritime security in the Pacific will be a focus of their Administrations. Both believe that Americans must lead. Most interesting, there is nearly no mention of Japan or Korea in their statements. Huntsman even suggests that India, not Japan, should become a permanent member of the the UN Security Council.

Below are links to their statements and papers as well as quotes. Neither Herman Cain nor Rick Perry have yet outlined their foreign policy views. Mr. Cain, however, says he is prepared for those "gotcha" questions by reporters covering his campaign for president. He told a reporter that he plans to simply answer "I don't know" if he is asked, Cain said. "And when they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan, I'm going to say you know, I don't know. Do you know?"


MITT ROMNEY
Speech

US as #1
God did not create this country to be a nation of followers. America is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers. America must lead the world, or someone else will. Without American leadership, without clarity of American purpose and resolve, the world becomes a far more dangerous place, and liberty and prosperity would surely be among the first casualties.

China
China has made it clear that it intends to be a military and economic superpower. Will her rulers lead their people to a new era of freedom and prosperity or will they go down a darker path, intimidating their neighbors, brushing aside an inferior American Navy in the Pacific, and building a global alliance of authoritarian states?

No mention of Japan or Korean Alliances
And I will bolster and repair our alliances. Our friends should never fear that we will not stand by them in an hour of need. I will reaffirm as a vital national interest Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. I will count as dear our Special Relationship with the United Kingdom. And I will begin talks with Mexico, to strengthen our cooperation on our shared problems of drugs and security.

Military buildup
Among these actions will be to restore America’s national defense. I will reverse the hollowing of our Navy and announce an initiative to increase the shipbuilding rate from 9 per year to 15. I will begin reversing Obama-era cuts to national missile defense and prioritize the full deployment of a multilayered national ballistic missile defense system. I will order the formulation of a national cybersecurity strategy, to deter and defend against the growing threats of militarized cyber-attacks, cyber-terrorism, and cyber-espionage.

White Paper
Advisers


JON HUNTSMAN
Speech and Video
Advisers

The world needs American leadership now more than ever. Yet we are struggling to provide it.

President Obama’s policies have weakened America, and thus diminished America’s presence on the global stage.We must correct our course.

Only Pakistan can save Pakistan. Only Afghanistan can save Afghanistan. And right now we should focus on America saving America. Our future is not in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan.

I have come to believe that we are embarking on a Pacific Century…in which America must and will play a dominant role....Embracing this reality may bring a dramatic change to the look of our military. The Asia Pacific is a maritime theater whereas Europe was mostly a land theater.

Our relationship with China has been a transactional one for 40 years. We buy their products. They buy our bonds. But for a truly healthy relationship, we need to infuse the relationship with shared values.

And recognizing India’s emerging role, I will also support our ally’s bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, as is fitting a country representing one-sixth of humanity.

Foreign Policy Outline

It’s all about the economy
To be good abroad, we must be great at home. America's competitive advantages are impermanent and can be squandered if we are not wise in the management of our resources and in choosing when and where to exercise our power. Through dramatic overhaul of our tax system and aggressive regulatory reform, we can once again unleash our creative class and give the American entrepreneur the chance to succeed.

Alliances but no mention of Japan or Korea
The international environment is rapidly changing, and the foundation for United States foreign policy should remain rooted in our traditional alliances. But we must also craft wise policies with respect to the new great powers. India can be a more valued strategic partner to the United States, and a better and more effective approach to the China relationship is also needed.

Asia
No distinct sidebar link to Asia but one to “Central Asia” (bet he knows the president of Uzbekistan) and a mention of Asian countries, but not China in “Trade.”

The United States should immediately initiate bilateral negotiations with Japan, India, Taiwan and Brazil, with the goal of concluding new free trade agreements with each.

Addresses Chinese Expansionism

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA and Asia Policy Point Cordially Invite You To

Addressing Chinese Expansionism

Maritime Security in East Asia

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
4:00-5:30 PM

Dr. Yoichiro Sato

Director of International Strategic Studies

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Dr. Yoichiro Sato is Professor and Director of International Strategic Studies at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. Previously, he taught diplomats and military officers at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies of the U.S. Department of Defense.  He is a co-editor with G. John Ikenberry and Takashi Inoguchi of the new book, The U.S.-Japan Security Alliance: Regional Multilateralism.  His other major works include Japan in a Dynamic Asia (co-edited with Satu Limaye, 2006), Norms, Interests, and Power in Japanese Foreign Policy (co-edited with Keiko Hirata, 2008), and The Rise of China and International Security (co-edited with Kevin Cooney, 2008). Dr. Sato received his BA in Law from Keio University, MA in International Studies from University of South Carolina and PhD in Political Science from University of Hawaii.

Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
1819 L Street, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC

Reservations Necessary

Contact Mr. Jonathan Bender, apprsvp@gmail.com, with your name, affiliation, and contact information by Tuesday, October 25th or call Asia Policy Point at (202) 822-6040. 

Space is limited

The Intellectual Korean Wave

After Kimchi and Winter Sonata: The Intellectual Korean Wave

APP member Emanuel Pastreich published the following critique of the "Korean Wave" in the Korea IT Times on August 16, 2011.

The Korean Wave (hallyu) has swept the world. Korea's romantic songs, thrilling movies and compelling television dramas have captured the imagination of a new generation-and quite a few from the previous generation. Although the mystique of Korean popular culture first took root in Japan and China, it has crept through Southeast and Central Asia and is now rolling into the Middle East and South America. Moreover, the Korean wave has extended to fashion and cosmetics, food and sports.

Nevertheless, although the Korean Wave has vastly enhanced Korea's visibility, we find that further up in the food chain the Korean Wave has not started in earnest. The truth is that most intellectuals in the United States, Europe or even Japan cannot name any Korean writers, have not read the essays of Korea's major intellectuals, and have little sense of the depth of Korea's history. We do not see English translations of articles by major Korean journalists appearing in the New York Times, and although President Obama may praise Korean education, he does not cite Korean experts.

But as someone living in Korea, someone who reads Korean books and journals, visits Korean galleries and talks with Korean intellectuals, I can affirm that there is plenty over here that deserves to be introduced to the world in a big way.

The highest priority is for us to introduce Korea's cultural past. There is an incredible wealth of writings by Koreans on Buddhism, Confucianism, self, and society produced over the last two millennia that has barely been touched. In most cases, those translations of the Korean classics that do exist were part of rushed projects to get out large amounts of text in short periods of time. We need scholars like Arthur Waley whose loving translation of Japan's Tale of Genji made it an essential part of literature classes around the world, or David Hawkes whose remarkable translation of China's Dream of the Red Chamber has made the novel a favorite. When the translations are of the highest caliber, international politicians and pundits will start to quote the great Koreans of the past. Only then will it no longer appear as if Korea suddenly stepped out onto the global stage in the 1980s.

Korean traditional medicine is a growth field. Korean scholarship on acupuncture and herbs is in many respects more comprehensive than what is available in China and Japan. And yet even as scholars at Harvard Medical School are taking a deeper interest in oriental medicine, little is available about Korea's great medical tradition in English. Kyung Hee University's Kim Nam-il's translation of "Donguibogam" (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) into English is a critical first step, but more steps are needed.