麻生首相、ワシントンへ行く

そして、もう帰ってきちゃってるんだね．あっという間でした。
香港の新聞Asia Timesが辛口の記事を載せてるんで、ご紹介。
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/KB26Dh01.html

For any Japanese prime minister, meeting with a US president has always been a double-edged sword. It has turned out to be a savior for a lackluster premier, but in many cases it has contributed to bringing them down.

Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda, Aso's immediate predecessors, both struggled to pass a bill in the Diet to extend the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean for anti-terrorism operations in and around Afghanistan.

This bill caused their popularity to plummet and forced them to quit after less than one year in office. They had had summits with then-US president George W Bush at which they pledged Tokyo's full support for the refueling mission. This bill has been a high-priority issue for the conservative LDP. It is regarded as the cornerstone of the Japan-US military alliance and Tokyo's commitment to international cooperation against terrorism, despite formidable domestic opposition.

Prior to those two prime ministers, Kakuei Tanaka, Kiichi Miyazawa, Ryutaro Hashimoto, Keizo Obuchi and Yoshiro Mori, among others, all quit in less than a few years after they had held summits with the US president.

They were subjected to US pressure on various issues, such as on Japan's structural reforms to remove impediments to trade and to balance of payments adjustment, Tokyo's easing of regulations, the liberalization of Japanese markets, the disposal of non-performing loans held by banks after the collapse of an asset bubble economy in the early 1990s, Japanese overseas military actions, notably in Iraq, and cooperation on US missile defense.

"Historically, there have been so many prime ministers who quit soon after swallowing US demands in the Japan-US summit," said Minoru Morita, a noted political analyst in Tokyo. "The US demands have often been inconsistent with Japanese public opinion and national interests. That's a factor in Japan's prime ministers quitting in the past."

日本の首相にとって、米大統領との会談はいつも諸刃の剣だった。不人気の首相にとって救世主となる場合もあったが、多くの場合退陣のきっかけとなっている。
麻生首相の前の二人の首相は、海上自衛隊の給油活動の延長法案を通すために苦心した．
この法案のせいで人気が急落し、１年経たないうちに退陣するはめとなった。彼らはさきのブッシュ大統領と会談し、日本の給油活動の継続を約束してきた．保守自民党にとってこの法案は、国民の反対にも関わらず日米同盟の要とされ、重要視された．
この二人のほかにも、田中角栄氏、宮澤喜一氏、橋本龍太郎氏、小渕恵三氏、森喜朗氏らが米大統領との会談からほどなくして退陣している。
彼らは、米国から様々な要求を受けた。例えば、貿易障壁の撤廃、規制緩和、市場の開放、バブル崩壊後の銀行の不良債権処理、自衛隊の海外での活動、ミサイル防衛への協力などである。
著名な政治評論家の森田実氏は言う。「日米会談の中で求められた米国からの要求をのんだために辞めざるをえなかった首相は多い．米国の要求は日本の世論や国益と相容れない場合が多い。それが過去の首相の退陣の要因である」

オバマ氏も人が悪いよなー。最大限見積もってもあとせいぜい半年しかない日本の首相に会っていい気分にさせ、アフガン復興支援のヒト／金を出させようってハラだよ。みえみえじゃん。自民党は米国には貢ぐけど、国内の景気対策はほったらかし。人心も離れるはずだわな．