Word: hatoyamas
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...been mooted in the past. But with Asian economies leading the world out of recession while America languishes, the topic is coming up with increasing frequency. At a meeting of regional leaders hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Thailand last month, Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama proposed an "East Asian community" that would bind together Japan, China, South Korea and the 10 countries of Southeast Asia, plus India, Australia and New Zealand. Hatoyama - who recently opined that "the era of U.S.-led globalism is coming to an end" - suggested this zone have its own common currency...
...have come to call each other Barack and Yukio," said Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. "I've grown quite accustomed to calling each other by our names." A moment later, President Barack Obama returned the sentiment. "Both Yukio and I were elected on the promise of change," he said. "But there should be no doubt, as we move our nations in a new direction, our alliance will endure." (See pictures of Obama visiting Asia...
...clenched hands tell only part of the story, beyond which new tensions add pressure to the relationship between the world's two largest national economies. Hatoyama's "change" campaign, for example, which shifted party control in Japan for the first time in a half-century, was marked in part by a more aggressive posture toward the United States. As he appealed for votes, Hatoyama spoke of seeking a more equal relationship" with America, a phrase that implied a continuation of the postwar subjugation of Japan...
Since taking office, Hatoyama has forced two small but notable concessions from the United States. At Hatoyama's direction, Japan will end its refueling program for U.S. warships in the Indian Ocean that support the military effort in Afghanistan, choosing instead to donate $5 billion to humanitarian and training support in the war-torn country. At the same time, Hatoyama has forced the Obama administration to reopen talks about the U.S. military presence on the Japanese island of Okinawa, just weeks after Defense Secretary Robert Gates came to Japan to announce that the issue was closed, and some marines would...
...their press conference there was some hint of the discord, especially as it related to the basing of U.S. marines on Okinawa. Obama said the continuing discussions over U.S. bases in Japan would "focus on the implementation of the agreement" that was already struck. Hatoyama, by contrast, spoke of the possibility of considering relocation of U.S. forces "outside Okinawa and outside of the country...