Surprising visits from US diplomats (to Fukushima)

December 14, 2012

Voters' choice: U.S. diplomat sounds out political parties in Fukushima

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20121214p2a00m0na004000c.html

FUKUSHIMA -- United States Embassy staff recently made unusual visits to the local chapters of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to sound them out about their campaigns.

"What differences are there between the national party headquarters and the Fukushima prefectural chapter?" was one of the questions cast by the pair of embassy staffers, a first secretary of the Political Section and a Japanese employee. The two visited the offices on Dec. 5, the day after the campaign for the Dec. 16 House of Representatives election officially started, according to the local chapters and other sources.

The on-site information gathering is apparently aimed at grasping the campaigning trends in the prefecture -- where damage from the Fukushima nuclear disaster is still plaguing farmers, businesses and residents -- as well as the nuclear policy to be adopted by the next administration.

"It's surprising that a U.S. diplomat has come this far to a local region like here," said one official who received their visit.

In total, the embassy staff visited at least four locations -- the prefectural chapters of the DPJ and the LDP in the city of Fukushima, as well as the campaign offices of two candidates running on the LDP and Tomorrow Party of Japan (TPJ) tickets, respectively. Appointments were made via telephone before their visits.

According to the LDP's Fukushima chapter, the embassy staff were especially interested in policy differences between LDP headquarters in Tokyo and the Fukushima chapter, and asked why the latter was advocating the decommissioning of the Fukushima No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant. The staffers also said they would report their findings to the U.S. government.

Regarding the chapter's opposition to Japan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade negotiations, the embassy staff told the LDP chapter that Washington is promoting the TPP and asked them if anti-TPP policy was an election ploy. In response, senior LDP chapter officials admitted to the policy difference with party headquarters, and explained local sentiment toward nuclear power and economic damage from harmful rumors about agricultural products.

The embassy officials also showed interest in the growing public support for the so-called "third political force" including the TPJ and the Japan Restoration Party.

At one of the campaign offices, the embassy staff reportedly remarked that the Japanese society is leaning toward the right and took a photo of a Shinto altar used to pray for election success.

An official representing the U.S. Embassy's Information Office said, "We have regular contacts with those in the Japanese political sphere, but we withhold from commenting on individual diplomatic exchanges."

Kazuya Sakamoto, a professor at Osaka University, said, "It is unusual for U.S. embassy officials to visit election offices in such local regions, and their visit is proof that the U.S. government believes public sentiment in Fukushima is important. While the U.S. is maintaining and promoting nuclear power and the TPP, it is apparently trying to find out how Japan's new administration will balance national and local interests, and to determine what stance the U.S. should take toward the new government."