Sanae Takaichi takes questions from the media in her first press conference as prime minister on October 21. (©Cabinet Secretariat)
The day after Sanae Takaichi was elected as the Prime Minister of Japan and selected the 18 members of her Cabinet on October 21, she sent out "instructions" (shiji) to each of them. In total, there were more than 135 instructions across 38 pages. If the more detailed parts were included, the number would rise to more than 150.
These numbers suggest the amount of work that needs to be done to get Japan out of the funk it has been in for a number of years, especially since Takaichi's mentor and Number One supporter, Shinzo Abe, stepped down as prime minister on September 16, 2020.
Takaichi herself recognized this when she spoke after being elected Liberal Democratic Party president on October 4. She stated that she planned to "work, work, work, work, and work" and not worry about a "work-life balance." She also expects members of the LDP and her Cabinet to work just as hard. The mission entrusted to her is thereby reflected in the initial instruction to all Cabinet members.
"We will transform anxieties about our present lives and future into hope," it began.
Shared Values and Abe's Friendship
She is approaching things very much like President Donald Trump has done in the United States. In fact, both governments were born of similar circumstances.
Over the past four years, both countries faced administrations with a highly leftist bent that produced a series of policies harmful to each country and that undermined its traditional values. As such, we have seen a strong pushback from the conservatives of both countries. That led to the election of President Trump, and now to the election of Prime Minister Takaichi.
Trump will feel comfortable with Takaichi because of the above similarities and conservative values, and because of their respective friendships with the late Shinzo Abe, which continue today through his widow, Akie.
Because of the busy start of the Takaichi Cabinet, the desire to work together with the Trump administration, and the short time Trump will be in Japan, Takaichi may not want to raise issues that will take time to resolve. However, because of the expectations of the conservative realists strongly supporting her, as well as her own long-held views, she may want to share with President Trump the sentiment of many people in Japan regarding bilateral relations and their own place in the world.
Below are ten things she may wish to tell President Trump.
1. Talk About the 'Lost Half-Decade'
Explain the "lost half-decade" between Abe's stepping down and today, and what she tried to do as the first-ever Minister in Charge of Economic Security to strengthen supply chains and information security, prevent technology leakage, and secure strategic materials, among many other sensitive matters.
2. Share Her Political Journey
Discuss her political journey and shared views, and the pariah-like treatment she too experienced by the mainstream media, establishment, and even her own party.
3. View History in Each Country's Own Way
Encourage him to respect Japan's rights to view its history in its own way — as reflected in Takaichi's policy speech before an extraordinary session of the Diet on October 24. Help him to understand that the country's desire to have greater pride in its history, culture, and traditions is not nationalistic or xenophobic, as described by the media. Instead, it is a natural part of a "Japan First" view of the world, just like Trump's "America First" approach.
This discussion might lead to her mentioning the high likelihood that Japan will be revising the postwar constitution at some point in the near future. Its revision will make the country a stronger, more cohesive country, as it will be a constitution written by the Japanese themselves and not seen as forced upon Japan by the Allied Powers during the occupation, nearly 80 years ago.
Related to this, she may consider inviting Trump to visit Yasukuni Shrine either on this trip or a future one, and at a minimum, not to protest visits by the prime minister like Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, did through then-Vice President Joe Biden.
4. A Status of Forces Structure for Paternity Cases
Request that Trump consider revising the Status of Forces Agreement to add a clause concerning the handling of cases of paternity by US service members. The situation of service members who flee the country and do not provide child support or assist with having the child legally recognized as a US citizen needs to change.
5. Clarify US Recognition of the Senkaku Islands
Call on Trump to end the United States' contradictory neutrality policy on the Senkaku Islands, Ishigaki City in Okinawa, by "re-recognizing" the Senkakus as Japanese territory. America did this for the 77 years prior to the reversion of Okinawa in 1972.
6. Help With Abductions and Territorial Issues
Ask President Trump to facilitate discussions between Japan and some of its neighbors. For example, with South Korea over the Takeshima Islands dispute, and with Russia over the Northern Territories dispute. Also, ask him to help once again with North Korea to resolve the abductions issue. Trump is on a roll internationally as this era's global peace broker. Compared to what he has been dealing with in Ukraine and the Middle East, these are far easier problems.
Of course, what Takaichi tells the president can not all be "asks" but should also include items she is willing to commit Japan to. These could (and should) include:
7. Promise Defense Spending to 3%
She should tell Trump she is willing to increase defense spending to 3% in the next two years. In the meantime, she should commit to expanding the definition of "defense" to reflect the more holistic economic security approach both she and Trump are taking in their respective countries.
8. Commit More to the Defense of Taiwan
Takaichi should tell Trump that Japan is going to commit more to the defense of Taiwan, acknowledging the fact that Japan is even more vulnerable to a loss of Taiwan than the United States is (although that in itself would be near-fatal).
9. Promise Mutual Assistance in Disasters
She should propose a mutual assistance in natural disasters agreement, which would allow the Self-Defense Forces to deploy to the United States if requested in a large-scale disaster. It should also make the availability of US forces in Japan more systemized and the bilateral coordination and information-sharing more regular.
10. Share the Best of Japan's Technology
Finally, Takaichi should offer Trump the opportunity for America's businesses, industry, and government to work with the best of Japan's technology. For example, Cipher Core's "complete cipher," which guarantees the protection of financial transactions, communications, and data, and other state-of-the-art companies.
Bilateral scientific, technological, energy, and educational cooperation should proceed at a rapid speed for the benefit of both countries. Both are trying to expand their economies and stay ahead of countries that seek to threaten the way of life for Japan and the United States.
Of course, there are many more items on the agenda now and in the future. Takaichi is no doubt aware of and will attempt to pursue these. But, for the moment, these suggestions should help advance the relationship to a level that has not been achieved before. Let's get to work.
RELATED:
- Takaichi Charts a Course for Revival: Strong Economy, Security, and Unshakable Resolve
- What It Could Mean If Takaichi Becomes Prime Minister
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Author: Robert D Eldridge, PhD
Dr Eldridge is a former political advisor to the US Marine Corps in Japan and author of numerous books on Japanese political and diplomatic history.
