Japan’s new PM wins praise on debut

Japan’s new prime minister wound up his global debut on Friday, winning applause from world leaders for his ambitious target on climate change and reassuring that US ties were solid.

But analysts warned that the honeymoon of Yukio Hatoyama’s novice government may not last long as he must soon live up to the political consequences of promises he made.

Fresh from taking office last week, Hatoyama met US President Barack Obama, China’s President Hu Jintao and other leaders at the UN General Assembly and climate change talks in New York and the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh.The center-left leader whose Democratic Party of Japan ended more than half a century of almost unbroken conservative rule in a sweeping election win last month rated his whirlwind trip as “extremely fulfilling.” “By meeting with so many leaders on my diplomatic debut, I was able to send a message saying Japan’s politics have changed,” said the soft-spoken, Stanford-trained engineer.Hatoyama, the scion of a powerful political dynasty, impressed counterparts with a pledge to cut Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 from 1990 and to step up aid to poor countries to combat climate change.

“Hatoyama made an ideal debut as the 25 percent reduction has a great impact,” said Tetsuro Kato, a professor of politics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.“But at the same time the pledge, now turning out to be an international one, is weighing heavily on his shoulders,” Kato said.

Some Japanese business leaders have warned the 25-percent reduction may force ailing manufacturers to flee overseas and estimated the burden to be at 360,000 yen (4,000 dollars) for each individual Japanese each year.

“I know some industries are saying it’s impossible, but I believe we can make it by fully making use of our science and technology,” Hatoyama said. “I believe in the Japanese people. I’m confident.”

Hatoyama also believed he was able to get off to a good start with the United States, saying: I was able to build some sort of relationship of trust with President Obama.” Obama during his meeting with Obama called the half-century alliance with Japan a “cornerstone” for US diplomacy and said he would visit Tokyo in November.Hatoyama “successfully showed his philosophy and now it’s time to face reality,” said Takehiko Yamamoto, a political professor at Waseda University in Tokyo.

“On the issue of the Japan-US alliance, the next key stage will come in November when various diplomatic events are scheduled, including Obama’s visit to Japan,” Yamamoto said.Hatoyama said he would move quickly to find a way to provide support to Afghanistan for Obama, who has invested political capital into rooting out Islamic extremists from the war-torn country.

Hatoyama plans to end an Indian Ocean naval refueling mission that supports the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan, but has proposed offering job training for former Afghan soldiers as a possible alternative.

-AFP