Amateurs and Foreign Policy: The DPJ Unleashed

It looks increasingly likely that Japan’s opposition Democrats have a serious shot at taking power in the near future. The party has no experience in government, as Japan’s Liberal Democrats have essentially ruled unchallenged since the 1950s. Were the DPJ to win, what would their foreign policy look like?

Shadow Defense Minister Keiichi Asao, and a Goofy DPJ poster advertising their “Policy Appeal Musical.”

A few months ago, DPJ Shadow Defense minister Keiichi Asao gave the AFP a look at what a DPJ administration would do for foreign affairs.

Japan opposition wants bigger global security role

Japan would play a more active role in global security if the opposition wins upcoming elections and would also seek better diplomacy to bring peace to Afghanistan, the shadow defence minister said.

Keiichi Asao, the defence minister in the Democrats’ shadow cabinet, said he would maintain support for the United States—which stations more than 40,000 troops in officially pacifist Japan—but with a different attitude. “The DPJ regards the the Japan-US alliance as very important,” Asao told AFP in an interview. “But we think that Japan should say what it needs to say to the United States. In return, we will be involved at the frontlines in UN activities.

That’s not what I would expect from a DPJ administration, having watched the statements of a variety of opposition politicians over the past several years. But reading through Asao’s list, it becomes clear that he’s only reading off a laundry list of the most popular positions, not what ideologically fits his party.

Which brings us to the biggest problem the DPJ would face if it took power: governing. Of the 250 members of parliament in both houses, looking at public information on the factional breakdown, approximately 110 are left-leaning, 60 are moderates, 80 are reformers and in favor of free markets, and 25 are right-wing.

I mention this now, because after weeks of discussing one of the most uncontroversial foreign policy issues that will probably be discussed in Japan this year—how Japan should dispatch forces to assist the international anti-piracy effort in Somalia (previously discussed here), Japanese-language only article on the topic as of yesterday here. In brief, most in the party seem inclined to support the LDP’s proposal to dispatch ships, but party bigwig Hatoyama wants to work with the other minority opposition parties of the Communists, Social Democrats, and People’s New Party, which are all opposed to the dispatch. Bottom line: the DPJ can’t make up its mind after weeks of debate. I remain terrified of the practical governance when these guys actually take power.