http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/02/28/the-beginning-of-benign-neglect/ Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:50:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/02/28/the-beginning-of-benign-neglect/comment-page-1/#comment-12673 Aurelia George Mulgan Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:25:49 +0000 http://www.eastasiaforum.org/?p=2223#comment-12673 It seems that the United States couldn't win on this one - wherever Japan was ranked on the visiting list - first, second, or last - more negatives than positives would have been drawn by the pundits. They seem to have caught the Japanese disease - endlessly wondering about how they rank relative to China in America's thoughts and deeds, and ever ready to read too much significance into anything. The way the Aso administration has been pathetically banging on about how important it was that the PM was invited to Washington first is further evidence of this phenomenon (and Japanese insecurities). No amount of over-interpreting the significance of the Clinton and Aso visits will restore Japan to its unchallenged importance in America's eyes and make a material difference to the reality of where Japan now sits in terms of US priorities and concerns. Put very simply, Japan has more than ever to share America's attention with China. It seems that the United States couldn’t win on this one – wherever Japan was ranked on the visiting list – first, second, or last – more negatives than positives would have been drawn by the pundits. They seem to have caught the Japanese disease – endlessly wondering about how they rank relative to China in America’s thoughts and deeds, and ever ready to read too much significance into anything. The way the Aso administration has been pathetically banging on about how important it was that the PM was invited to Washington first is further evidence of this phenomenon (and Japanese insecurities). No amount of over-interpreting the significance of the Clinton and Aso visits will restore Japan to its unchallenged importance in America’s eyes and make a material difference to the reality of where Japan now sits in terms of US priorities and concerns. Put very simply, Japan has more than ever to share America’s attention with China.

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