Tadashi Yamamoto

Many Americans still see a monolithic Japan; while the new U.S. divisiveness puzzles Japanese. `Tokyo currently takes a ... simplistic approach toward Washington.'

This is the final installment in a series of interviews examining Japan-U.S. ties and their implications. By MANABU HARA Senior staff writer

Tadashi Yamamoto, a pioneer in promoting international private-sector exchanges between Japan and the United States, worries that many Americans still believe in the existence of a monolithic Japan Inc., just as many Japanese are puzzled by a sociopolitically divided United States.

As the head of the Japan Center for International Exchange, Yamamoto says that with the emergence of Japanese nationalism and U.S. unilateralism, Japan needs to build a new network of human relationships between the two countries to sustain their solid friendship.

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Q: George Packard, president of the U.S.-Japan Foundation, once said that nowadays Americans devalue Japan and that Japanese are growing irritated with the United States.

A: By and large I agree with Dr. Packard. A fair number of American businessmen think that Japan is still important as a business partner. But politicians, for example, seldom come to Japan although they go to China. We need to develop a new cadre of leaders in the United States from different fields who have a deep understanding of Japan and who have close Japanese friends. That's why Dr. Packard has started a leadership program promoting dialogue and exchanges between young future leaders of the two countries. Unfortunately, we on the Japanese side do not pay enough attention to the importance of developing a new cadre of future leaders in Japan who have close friends in the United States. In Japan, while there are many businessmen who live in the United States or have friends there, the number of politicians and journalists who know the United States is very limited. One important way to address this problem is to broaden the context in which we think about the bilateral relationship. For example, we can promote closer ties in the context of cooperation on the regional development of East Asia, on dealing with common challenges such as protecting the environment and dealing with HIV/AIDS, and in meeting common domestic sociopolitical and economic problems.

Q: How did U.S. philanthropies and their Japanese counterparts contribute to the postwar relationship between the two countries?

A: Our institution has done an extensive study on that question and came to the conclusion that a handful of American foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Asia Foundation played a significant role in helping to rebuild Japan and to re-establish and improve the U.S.-Japan relationship.

In addition to sending many Japanese intellectual and political leaders to the United States, they also helped strengthen Japan's intellectual base by supporting initiatives to establish institutions for academic and international exchange activities, such as the Kyoto University Center for Southeast Asia, the International House of Japan and the Japan Center for International Exchange.

Japanese philanthropy also played an important role in the promotion of exchange between the two countries. We found there was a significant tradition of philanthropy in Japan from before the war, led by some of the major zaibatsu families in Japan such as Matsukata, Morimura and Shibusawa, who were actively involved in supporting cultural exchange activities as well as more traditional charitable giving.

Q: The Shimoda Conference, which you have been involved in as an organizer since its founding in 1967, has played a major role promoting intellectual exchanges between the two countries, hasn't it?

A: It was indeed significant because it was the first major conference between the United States and Japan to address substantive policy matters. It involved leading scholars, politicians and businessmen, including such key figures as Mike Mansfield, Yasuhiro Nakasone and Akio Morita. But, by that time, there was a clear need for better understanding on policy matters.

The reversion of Okinawa had become an important issue for the two countries and economic friction between the countries was much more visible than before. The participants also discussed the importance of reaching out to China, which was a revolutionary idea at the time because Japan still recognized Taiwan as the legitimate government.

There was also a notion behind this project that policy discussions should not be left only to the government, which was a fairly new, if not totally foreign, idea to Japanese.

Q: The communication gap between the two countries still exists, doesn't it?

A: Mutual understanding has improved significantly since the end of World War II, but the playing field keeps shifting and our understanding has not been keeping up. Most Americans lack an understanding of the greater pluralism in Japan today, which has resulted in, among other things, a more complex policymaking process. For instance, Americans tend to think that Japan Inc. still exists, which is no longer true. In contrast to the policymaking process when the Liberal Democratic Party dominated politics, it has become very difficult for any leader to get his own idea supported even within his own political party.

On the other hand, we do not understand the current United States, which has become seriously divided along a number of lines. Frankly speaking, despite my close ties and frequent travels to the United States for more than five decades now, I really have a difficult time comprehending the type of divisiveness manifested in the recent presidential election.

Q: How should the two countries deal with the new international environment in East Asia, including the rise of China?

A: The United States should think of Japan as part of the emerging East Asia regional community, as Tokyo is increasingly interested in creating a community that includes South Korea, China and the ASEAN countries. The United States and Japan should work as partners to make sure that the community is prosperous and stable.

When it comes to the triangular relationship among Japan, the United States and China, it should also be looked at within the context of the development of the East Asia community.

One problem for Japan now is that, compared to the United States, there is a limited number of outstanding experts on China or, for that matter, on the United States. It is very difficult for us to organize intellectual dialogues in a triangular fashion.

Another serious problem is the shortage of independent foundations, think tanks and exchange organizations in Japan. I am less optimistic about the future of private foundations as the government is quite reluctant to establish an adequate tax deduction system to encourage financial donations.

The shortage of professionals in the NPO field is also problematic. The average size of the paid staff of NPOs is less than two people per organization. The Japanese government and leaders in other sectors should understand that NPOs are valuable because they are independent and rely on individual initiative. In terms of international exchange, they represent a vital supplement to government-to-government-level efforts.

Of course, the Japanese government should continue to work with the United States in dealing with major international challenges. But Tokyo currently takes an overly simplistic approach toward Washington, which could become a serious problem in the future.

It is dangerous, for example, for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to be seen as following the United States blindly. He should explain to the public the context in which he views the relationship.

We also need to develop within Japan a better understanding of and broader consensus on how to deal with the divided United States. I personally feel the need to renew my efforts to understand these current trends in the United States and their implications for the future of the bilateral relationship.

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Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1936, Tadashi Yamamoto graduated from Marquette University in Wisconsin in 1962 and founded the Japan Center for International Exchange in Tokyo in 1970. He is a member and Pacific director of the Trilateral Commission. He was recently awarded the third Iue Asia Pacific Culture Prize.(IHT/Asahi: December 20,2004)