A tsunami in Japanese politics

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has dominated Japan for more than fifty years. In that time, the opposition provided one prime minister, who held office for less than a year. But now, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is expected to smash the LDP in the upcoming election. Dan Twining of Shadow Government provides a good deal of insight into the challenges posed by this turn of events:

Under the LDP, foreign policy has been grounded in the U.S.-Japan alliance — so the DPJ wants to renegotiate its terms…

Is the Obama administration prepared for this sea change in relations with America’s closest Asian ally? The good news is that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Kurt Campbell is one of Japan’s most trusted friends in Washington. He played an instrumental role in revitalizing the alliance relationship in the 1990s when he was the Pentagon’s top Asia official. The bad news is that President Obama has pursued an Asia policy that in many ways seems divorced from the strategy pursued by the Clinton administration in which Dr. Campbell previously served — a strategy he has described as an “allies-first” Asia policy, which assumes that the best way to manage the region’s geopolitical challenges, especially the rise of China, is to have the strongest possible relations with core allies, starting with Japan.

Perhaps Dr. Campbell’s influence will grow if it becomes increasingly clear that our alliance with Japan is not something to be taken for granted.