A New Type of US-Japan Trade Relationship

[Aepsilons]

Good, why not openly become a state of US.

To answer your question; the benefits of a mature alliance system don't only manifest in military, economic and politic terms. The citizenry, most importantly, benefit. Some Citizens of the European Union enjoy ease of access into the United States, as well.

Anyways, I want to go back to the subject matter, which is on trade relations with the United States and Japan. I'd like this thread to remain on topic as well.

 

[alaungphaya]

well Japanese became a developed and rich state much before 20 year even if they maintain the same level they will be living much better life than any other asian country for long time, and Japanese is no small nation over 100 million people that is 1/3 of USA with almost same lifestyle.
And regarding latest geopolitical games of course Japanese will assert themselves as USA tones down because of rising china, by Nature Japanese are very arrogant and proud people from my experience working with them in USA so I am pretty sure they will not take any Chinese aggression lightly. Its not Abe its Japanese people as a whole wants to deter china not to mess with them.

I would take exception to some of that. Singapore jumped Japan in living standard some time ago and there are a lot of Jap expats there. The US and Australia are beginning to pull away in living standards, too. Japan is on par with the likes of UK, Germany and France. All good stuff. But when your GDP was twice that of the whole of Asia two decades ago, ofcourse the average Japanese is going to be frustrated. Abe came into power on this ticket.

Yes, I agree that US is leaving Japan twisting in the wind somewhat wrt China. It's quite sad, really. I really like Japan. Good solid Buddhist/Shinto values and they took the plunge in Westernising first in all of Asia. But yes, underneath all the Hello Kitty, they have a very sinister and nationalist core and Abe is tapping this sentiment as do all right wing politicians.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

To answer your question; the benefits of a mature alliance system don't only manifest in military, economic and politic terms. The citizenry, most importantly, benefit. Some Citizens of the European Union enjoy ease of access into the United States, as well.

Anyways, I want to go back to the subject matter, which is on trade relations with the United States and Japan. I'd like this thread to remain on topic as well.

Economics dominate these types of discussions, but cultural exchanges are the true drivers of nation's trade relationships and we in the US are in-love with Japanese culture. From anime, to JPop, to food and video games, the Japanese have achieve a penetration of US culture rivaled by few other nations and we are truly grateful for it.

 

[Aepsilons]

Economics dominate these types of discussions, but cultural exchanges are the true drivers of nation's trade relationships and we in the US are in-love with Japanese culture. From anime, to JPop, to food and video games, the Japanese have achieve a penetration of US culture rivaled by few other nations and we are truly grateful for it.

I think this is what I admire most about Americans, that many of them actually love and yearn to learn about Japanese Culture , Japanese Language. Over the years, throughout our broad-based Alliance System and people-to-people exchange, American Culture has permeated in Japan. For one example, one area that is popular is Country Music in Japan. And another is Baseball. Both of which are American Cultural Icons.

Cotton Fields／Wildwood Roses - YouTube

 

[Gandhiv]

I would take exception to some of that. Singapore jumped Japan in living standard some time ago and there are a lot of Jap expats there. The US and Australia are beginning to pull away in living standards, too. Japan is on par with the likes of UK, Germany and France. All good stuff. But when your GDP was twice that of the whole of Asia two decades ago, ofcourse the average Japanese is going to be frustrated. Abe came into power on this ticket.

Yes, I agree that US is leaving Japan twisting in the wind somewhat wrt China. It's quite sad, really. I really like Japan. Good solid Buddhist/Shinto values and they took the plunge in Westernising first in all of Asia. But yes, underneath all the Hello Kitty, they have a very sinister and nationalist core and Abe is tapping this sentiment as do all right wing politicians.

comparing Singapore to Japan is like comparing an elephant to a bee. Japanese have plenty of the world's best solid heavy industry and high tech. electronics corporates. Singapore is purely service based.
Regarding westernization, as westernization in most of asia including Japan does not mean adapting western hollow ideas of society and materialistic lifestyle but more related to modernisation in science not in culture although exceptions are everywhere. I still see Japanese connected to dharmic thoughts emanating from India.
Japanese were one of the first to sense the missionary designs, how many christians you see in Japan today?
I think in early 1800s Japanese realize this, which is commendable of their understanding of Abrahamic ways this early.
Well I foresee Japanese coming out with a military industrial complex like USA in next 20 years they have the technology, the capital and as China asserts itself and USA confines itself to Europe Japanese will show the will also.

 

[alaungphaya]

comparing Singapore to Japan is like comparing an elephant to a bee. Japanese have plenty of the world's best solid heavy industry and high tech. electronics corporates. Singapore is purely service based.
Regarding westernization, as westernization in most of asia including Japan does not mean adapting western hollow ideas of society and materialistic lifestyle but more related to modernisation in science not in culture although exceptions are everywhere. I still see Japanese connected to dharmic thoughts emanating from India.
Japanese were one of the first to sense the missionary designs, how many christians you see in Japan today?
I think in early 1800s Japanese realize this, which is commendable of their understanding of Abrahamic ways this early.
Well I foresee Japanese coming out with a military industrial complex like USA in next 20 years they have the technology, the capital and as China asserts itself and USA confines itself to Europe Japanese will show the will also.

I'm not a Japan basher. Quite the opposite. But you should recognise that the stereotypes from the 80's don't apply now. Japan has been stagnant for two decades and that is going to change the outlook of any country. I don't quite see the future the same way, though. They will try to develop a military industrial complex but I doubt they will be successful as the Americans, Russians or Chinese. They really should be moving to be the financial and innovation capital of Asia much like how the UK and Germany did in their post-industrial periods but they're not there yet. I forgot to say that it will be hard for the Japs, with such a high level of debt, to be able to finance this without negatively affecting living standards even more.

I also appreciate that they are very careful with what they incorporate into their society from the West and I never said otherwise. However, it is a very materialistic and commoditised society. Even something as basic as ringing a bell in a buddhist shrine costs money in Japan. You are right that they are very suspicious of Christians in Japan and rightly so. They didn't drink the Koolaid on that one like they did in Korea and this is why I champion Japanese soft power above Korean. MacArthur actually wanted the Japanese to convert to Christianity after the war but the Japanese resisted impressively. There are some Christians in Japan but they are a fringe minority and are not really a factor. However, I think you will find, if you ever visit Japan, that their interpretation of dhamma is far different from India's.

 

[Aepsilons]

US urges Japan to be bolder in opening markets

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, greets U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, center, and the U.S. business mission members at the Abe's official residence in Tokyo Monday, Oct, 20, 2014. Looking on them, second right, is U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy.Kazuhiro Nogi, Pool/A Photo



TOKYO
U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker is urging Japan to be bolder in opening its markets to help reach a deal on a pan-Pacific trade agreement.

Pritzker, who is leading the Commerce Department's first trade mission to Japan in two decades, said Tuesday that U.S. and Japanese negotiators were closing the gap on trade in farm goods and vehicles but that there were still "tough issues" to work on.

"It is time for all of us to be bold. Incremental steps will not lead us to the high-standard outcome that we all agreed to pursue when we joined the negotiations," Pritzker told a group of U.S. and Japanese business executives. She said "strong outcomes" were needed in both agriculture and auto trade talks to get a deal approved by the U.S. Congress and Japanese lawmakers.

Japan is the second largest source of foreign direct investment in the United States and its fourth largest trading partner overall.



The 12-nation trade pact, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, is the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's trade policy and his effort to shift U.S. strategic attention to Asia. Pritzker said it could yield tens of billions of dollars a year in economic gains and increased exports for each side.

The pact, aimed at cutting tariffs and setting trade rules, is seen as a precursor to a future wide free-trade arrangement for the entire Pacific Rim region.

Yet, an agreement has remained elusive, with informal deadlines long passed. Critics of the plan say the negotiations are too secretive and are likely to favor the interests of big multinational corporations over those of ordinary workers and consumers.

Apart from the U.S. and Japan, other countries negotiating the trade deal are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. But a deal between the U.S. and Japan, the two largest economies, is considered vital to its success.

Executives from 20 leading medical and energy technology companies paid thousands of dollars each to join the trade mission to Japan and South Korea, Pritzker's first visit to Asia as commerce secretary.

The group includes huge conglomerates Cargill Inc. and The Dow Chemical Co., energy companies such as Oregon LNG and companies specializing in leading edge medical technologies.

Apart from the trade talks, the U.S. is discussing ways Japan can open its annual $300 billion health care market wider to foreign companies, said Pritzker, citing uncertainties over insurance reimbursements for medicines and other treatments as a key issue.

The last such trade mission to Japan was in the early 1990s, just as Japan's economy was sliding into a two-decade long funk. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made economic revival his top priority, with limited success.

Asked why there was such a long hiatus in trade missions to the world's third-largest economy, Pritzker said she was perplexed.

A renewed effort by both countries, with President Barack Obama pushing for TPP and faster growth in exports and Japan promising faster economic reforms, is creating new opportunities, she said.

"My feeling is that we need to take advantage of the kind of open door that's being created by Prime Minister Abe and President Obama," she said.


Read more here: US urges Japan to be bolder in opening markets | The Sacramento Bee

 

[Gandhiv]

I'm not a Japan basher. Quite the opposite. But you should recognise that the stereotypes from the 80's don't apply now. Japan has been stagnant for two decades and that is going to change the outlook of any country. I don't quite see the future the same way, though. They will try to develop a military industrial complex but I doubt they will be successful as the Americans, Russians or Chinese. They really should be moving to be the financial and innovation capital of Asia much like how the UK and Germany did in their post-industrial periods but they're not there yet. I forgot to say that it will be hard for the Japs, with such a high level of debt, to be able to finance this without negatively affecting living standards even more.

I also appreciate that they are very careful with what they incorporate into their society from the West and I never said otherwise. However, it is a very materialistic and commoditised society. Even something as basic as ringing a bell in a buddhist shrine costs money in Japan. You are right that they are very suspicious of Christians in Japan and rightly so. They didn't drink the Koolaid on that one like they did in Korea and this is why I champion Japanese soft power above Korean. MacArthur actually wanted the Japanese to convert to Christianity after the war but the Japanese resisted impressively. There are some Christians in Japan but they are a fringe minority and are not really a factor. However, I think you will find, if you ever visit Japan, that their interpretation of dharma* is far different from India's.

I have some idea though, still better than any abrahamics ideology you find. And you are right regarding koreans they have and losing their roots fast, although Koreans and Japanese are on equal level on racial arrogance. But they have their big *** brother China always humbling them in East Asia.
But I still see specially Japanese as a positive for developing asia, Japanese unlike western countries still treat Asians countries better and are ready to share their tech. and financial resources with asians. Also chinese no matter how arrogant they are becoming with new found wealth has a lot of thank Japanese also. Japanese is one of the major factors where China find herself today.
I hope Japanese with reduced influence of USA invest more in developing asia which will also be very beneficial for them also in long run both economically and politically.

 

[DeVice]

Simply put, Japan doesn't have an independent foreign policy, it has to follow wherever US goes even it means to hurt their own national interests.

Japan is a sinking island, as it too much heard what US told them.


Sudan was Japan main oil supplier, but US asked to scrap it.

Japan obey US to "punish" Russia, now they pay the price and busy to ask Russian forgiveness.

The same case with China too.


In the world stage, no one listen Japan as leader of Asia, tainted as US puppet reputation.

Their peaceful image, have been destroyed by Abe militarism... for the sake of US again.

US even promote anti-Japanese products worldwide.

I would take exception to some of that. Singapore jumped Japan in living standard some time ago and there are a lot of Jap expats there. The US and Australia are beginning to pull away in living standards, too. Japan is on par with the likes of UK, Germany and France. All good stuff. But when your GDP was twice that of the whole of Asia two decades ago, ofcourse the average Japanese is going to be frustrated. Abe came into power on this ticket.

Yes, I agree that US is leaving Japan twisting in the wind somewhat wrt China. It's quite sad, really. I really like Japan. Good solid Buddhist/Shinto values and they took the plunge in Westernising first in all of Asia. But yes, underneath all the Hello Kitty, they have a very sinister and nationalist core and Abe is tapping this sentiment as do all right wing politicians.

Good Buddhist/Shinto values...?