TOKYO -- The U.S. wants Japan, China and South Korea to work together more closely, U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy told The Nikkei in an exclusive interview earlier this month, calling strong ties vital to regional peace, prosperity and efforts to deal with global challenges. Kennedy also touched on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push for a more expansive security role for Japan and on tensions with Russia over Ukraine, and on how women in Japan can have a more important role in politics, business and society.The U.S. wants Japan, China and South Korea to work together more closely, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy told The Nikkei in an exclusive interview Thursday, calling strong ties vital to regional peace, prosperity and efforts to deal with global challenges.
Excerpts from the interview follow.
Q: What does the U.S. government think of the efforts by the Abe government to allow Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense by reinterpreting its constitution?
A: The U.S. government welcomes the cabinet's decision to permit Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Japan's new policy will make the U.S.-Japan alliance more balanced and more effective. Japan has made significant contributions to regional peace and stability, including to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and to counter-piracy operations. Japan's efforts have already helped thousands of people, and many more will be helped in the future.
Americans look forward to watching Japan's citizens and their elected officials debate and decide the appropriate legislation to implement the new policy. We have the utmost respect for the Japanese democratic process.
Discussions regarding collective self-defense, along with revisions to our bilateral defense guidelines, will allow Japan and the United States to work more closely with each other and with other allies to maintain peace and increase prosperity in the region and beyond.
Q: Given the current turmoil in Ukraine, what do you make of Japan's position on Russia? Also, what is the Obama administration's view on Japan's efforts to enhance its bilateral relationship with Russia, including its negotiations over the Northern Territories and President Vladimir Putin's possible visit to Japan this fall?
A: We understand Japan's efforts to achieve closure on the Northern Territories and on other unresolved issues with Russia that have weighed on relations since the end of World War II. At the same time, the latest troubling developments in Ukraine have only underscored the need for the international community to present a unified position in response to Russia's flagrant violation of its neighbor's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe has reiterated on numerous occasions his commitment to cooperating closely with the rest of the G-7 to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. We are deeply appreciative of his government's support, both in lending its voice to the international condemnation of Russia's military intervention and in taking concrete measures in conjunction with the rest of the G-7 nations. We hope that our efforts will persuade President Putin to pursue a path toward de-escalation and negotiation.
Q: As you know, the Abe government is currently in negotiations aimed at completely resolving the issue of North Korea's alleged abduction of Japanese nationals. How do those talks sit with Washington's policy toward Pyongyang?
A: I've met with the families of some of the abductees, and the president met with (abduction victims) the Yokotas during his visit to Tokyo in April. The ordeal suffered by these families is heartbreaking. The United States has enormous compassion for the families and fully supports the government of Japan's efforts to resolve the abductions issue in a transparent manner.
But let me be clear -- these efforts do not affect our No. 1 shared priority of denuclearizing North Korea. We want North Korea to abide by the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and to uphold its international commitments and human rights obligations. We are in constant contact with the Japanese government at all levels -- up to and including the prime minister -- to discuss our shared security concerns regarding North Korea.
Trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan and South Korea is an integral part of our Northeast Asia security strategy. In the most recent example, Secretary (of State John) Kerry met with the foreign ministers of Japan and (South) Korea, both separately and trilaterally, at the Asean Regional Forum in August. This meeting demonstrated our close consultation as allies and our common goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.
Q: Media reports from Washington suggest that the Republicans could defeat the Democrats in the November midterm elections. Therefore, there is a lot of speculation, both in Japan and the U.S., over what will happen with the trade promotion authority issue in the U.S., and with the U.S.-Japan negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks. What is your take on those issues?
A: The president has indicated, including in his 2014 State of the Union address, his commitment to seeking and achieving a trade promotion authority agreement. And we're seeking a TPA bill that has the broadest possible bipartisan support. At the same time, the administration is committed to working hard to conclude a high-standard, comprehensive TPP agreement. It's possible -- as our trade negotiators have demonstrated -- for those two tracks to proceed at the same time, and all TPP partners, including Japan, should take the bold steps now that will help move the TPP negotiations to conclusion.
Q: How would you evaluate the Abe government's efforts thus far on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air base in Okinawa? Some Japanese have expressed concern that there might be another delay after Okinawa's gubernatorial election in November. How will the election impact the relocation process?
A: It's not appropriate for me to comment on the gubernatorial election, but I have visited Okinawa twice and met with local leaders, with students, with world-renowned researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, and with other Okinawans. Okinawa is a wonderful place with a rich, vibrant culture, and one of my favorite places in Japan. I look forward to returning there in November to participate in the Special Olympics hosted at Kadena Air Force Base, and there are many other places throughout the islands that I would like to visit as well.
America takes very seriously the Okinawan people's desire to reduce the impact from the bases on their daily lives. My colleagues across the U.S. government are working very hard with the government of Japan to achieve that goal while ensuring operational readiness.
After years of study and planning, we have begun the construction of a new airfield at Camp Schwab near Henoko. This project is the best way to allow us to close the existing base at Futenma, to reduce the impact of its flight operations on the Okinawan people, and -- most critically -- to provide for the capabilities we need to fulfill our treaty obligations to help defend Japan.
I am also pleased by positive developments such as the permanent transfer of KC-130 aircraft from Okinawa to Iwakuni Base and the significant return of base land from the West Futenma Housing area, which will be completed in early 2015. I am confident that when the elements of the relocation plan are fully implemented, the impact on the Okinawan people will be much reduced.
Q: Is the Obama administration hoping to see bilateral meetings between Abe and his Chinese and South Korean counterparts at the APEC meeting in Beijing in November? If so, what kind of role can the U.S. play as a mediator?
A: The governments of Japan, China
and South Korea all recognize the importance of strong relationships in ensuring
the economic prosperity and stability of the region and in addressing global
issues such as climate change and terrorism. Under President Obama's leadership,
we have encouraged each country to strengthen and deepen ties with one
another.
For instance, the Japanese and Chinese governments have seen a recent increase in parliamentary and ministerial-level exchanges that underscore the importance both governments place on communication about important bilateral and multilateral issues. Japanese Foreign Minister (Fumio) Kishida and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a productive bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asean Regional Forum in Burma last month, and I understand that officials in both countries are considering the possibility of a bilateral summit at APEC in November.
As far as (South) Korea, Secretary Kerry met in Burma with his Japanese and Korean counterparts. In addition to consulting bilaterally and trilaterally on North Korea matters, they discussed a number of regional and global issues. I cannot emphasize enough how critical this trilateral cooperation is -- most urgently in dealing with the threat to the region posed by the DPRK. Naturally, we hope our trilateral cooperation also will ameliorate tensions between Japan and Korea and engender closer bilateral cooperation between two key U.S. allies. Clearly, that is in all our interests.
Personally, I am looking forward to meeting the new Korean Ambassador in Tokyo, Yoo Heung-soo. I understand he has already met with senior Japanese officials and that he is committed to improving ties with Japan.
Q: Since you arrived here, we believe you have had many opportunities to learn about the situations of Japanese women. Based upon your experiences in the U.S., what do you believe Japanese government, companies, individuals -- both male and female -- should do to promote Japanese women's participation in society and achieve social justice?
A: It is a great honor to be the first woman to serve as the U.S. Ambassador, especially at a time when the topic of women's empowerment is one of the most important issues facing Japan. There are so many talented and dynamic women whose energy and skills can help ensure Japan's 21st century success. In order to achieve this goal, there must be commitment at all levels of society, because there is a role for everyone to play. Just to restate the obvious, this is not a woman's issue -- it is a national security issue, an economic issue, a social issue and a family issue. In other words, it's a man's issue too.
The prime minister has shown great leadership since he first took office. He has spoken out around the world on the importance of increasing women's economic participation and he has proposed a number of important structural reforms to the tax code, the labor market, and corporate governance. Last week's appointment of five women to his new cabinet certainly reinforced that commitment.
The business community also has a critical role to play. Countless studies show that companies with high-level participation by women are more profitable and better-run and that giving people more flexibility in their work schedules not only increases job satisfaction, it improves productivity. Corporate leaders I have met are working hard to hire more women and, more importantly, to put policies in place to promote and retain them as they move through their careers and balance work and family. This will take deliberate action and a sustained commitment at the highest levels. But the benefits will be enormous.
In addition, we have seen that women are becoming entrepreneurs in ever greater numbers. As the corporate structure can be too rigid, women have shown they are eager to start their own businesses, but they need greater access to capital in order to succeed.
As individuals, it sometimes seems like our actions don't have a big impact, but growing up in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Movement has taught me that lasting change comes from thousands of individual acts of commitment and courage. As President Obama often says, "Change comes from the bottom up, not the top down." The most important thing to remember is that we are part of something larger than ourselves, and that our efforts will help our daughters to succeed and our sons to experience more of the joys of family life. It's not easy but we are not alone.
Women need to reach out to each other, to ask for help from their husbands and partners, co-workers or other family members. We can demonstrate to managers that doing a good job need not mean staying until 9 o'clock at night, and technology can help enable us to complete our work while not being physically present in the office.
Each time we stand up for ourselves, we change the world around us -- and those tiny changes add up. Over time, and across generations, we can transform the lives of people we don't even know.
Q: In Japan, women's participation, particularly in politics arena, is lagging behind other countries. What do you think is the reason for that, and what do you think is the difference between Japan and countries such as the U.S. where women's participation is more advanced? And ultimately, what do you think Japan should do to encourage political participation by women?
A: In a democracy, political participation is the key to bringing about change. We have seen that over and over again in the United States. It took a Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement to give African-Americans full civil rights. Fifty years later, we elected our first black president.
Similarly, it took 150 years before women got the vote in the United States. But things really began to change for women after we started organizing to get women elected to office. one of the most important examples of the power of women to make a difference is the story of "Emily's List." In 1985, a young woman named Ellen Malcolm gathered a group of her friends together in the basement of her home. They all wrote letters to their friends and colleagues asking them to make small contributions to Democratic women running for office. Just one year later, the first Democratic woman senator was elected in her own right to the U.S. Senate. Seven years after that, the nation experienced what was called "The Year of the Woman," with four new women being elected to the Senate and 20 new women to the House. Today, we've had the first woman speaker of the House and there are 20 women serving in the United States Senate, more than any other time in history. Currently, three women serve as Supreme Court justices and we have had three female secretaries of state.
Emily's List, that little group that began in one woman's basement, now has more than 2 million members and has raised more than $50 million to support women running for office. While we have come far in a short time, the numbers of women serving in government is still too low. But we're moving in the right direction and every action, every vote and every individual can make a difference.
Growing up in a political family, politics was something that we did together, so it was fun. If young women join with their friends, or with different generations of family members, to work for a cause they believe in, they will experience their power to bring about change -- and have a good time doing it. They will also learn valuable leadership skills. I have seen examples of this in Tohoku, where many remarkable young people have started NGOs to assist in the rebuilding effort. I hope that some of them will make the transition to running for elected office, because, too often, women are afraid to put themselves forward in a campaign.
Q: Even before you became ambassador to Japan, you said you wanted to work on women's rights issues in this country. Could you share some of your ideas -- how to proceed with them -- as part of the Obama administration's policy toward Japan?
A: It's very exciting to be the first woman to serve as the U.S. ambassador here, because this is such an important relationship and such an important alliance, and the fact that the economic empowerment and advancement of women is such an important issue for the current Abe government. It's an area that we've struggled with in the U.S., and we still are struggling.
I think the best thing we can do is share our experiences, share some of the lessons that we've learned, some of the things that worked, some of the things that we're still working on, and hope that those are helpful for Japan, as you create your own way of doing this and way of empowering and including women.
Because every country has to do it in a way that works for them. So, I don't have anything to offer but experience, and some insights, and I have a lot of colleagues at the embassy -- and there are many Japanese women who have spent time in America.
So I think for everyone -- the most important thing people can do now is to talk, come together and be inspired by each other and recommit and commit to this work. Because, the most important thing to realize, from the American experience, is that this is going to take time, and it's going to take hard work. And it's going to take people to keep working for many years. We can never take the progress for granted.