2017.03.03 Mr. Hamdard's Attendance at “The Japan-U.S. Dialogue”

Mr. Hamdard's Attendance at “The Japan-U.S. Dialogue”

March 3, 2017: First Secretary & Political Affairs, Mr. Basir Ahmad Hamdard, attended “The Japan-U.S. Dialogue –The Japan-U.S. Alliance in Era of the Trump Administration: Crossroads or Continuity?-” that was held at The Global Forum of Japan located in Minato-Ku. The U.S. attendants included Senior Fellow Brent Scowcroft; Center on Int’l Security, Atlantic Council Mr. Robert Manning,; Deputy Director & Senior Fellow, Office of the Japan Chair, CSIS Mr. Nicholas Szechenyi; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Mr. James Schoff; and Senior Research Fellow, INSS Mr. James J. Przystup. From Japanese side, attendants were Chairman, GFJ&JFIR Mr. Kenichi Ito; Processor, National Defense Academy of Japan/ Academic Govenor, GFJ/ Director and Superior Research Fellow JIFR Mr. Matake Kamiya; Professor Kyoto University/ Academic Member, GFI Mr. Hiroshi Nakanishi; Senior Resarch Fellow, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Mr. Tsuneo Watanabe; Professor of Keio University Mr. Yuichi Hosoya; and Senior Research Fellow Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation Mr. Yoichi Kato.

This conference consisted of two sessions: “Prospects and Challenges of the Japan-U.S. Alliance in the Trump Era” as well as “What Should the Two Allies Do?” During the second session the main topic discussed political and economical issues.

The political issue contained two countries: China and North Korea. Regarding China, the topic of China’s claimed territorial water was examined. On this issue, U.S. agreed to continue its support for Japan and maintain the relationship between Japan and U.S., which they have been building together over years. Concerning North Korea, they have agreed that it is severe to come together as allies and prevent North Korea to utilize its atomic bomb, without any attacks. As a solution, an economic sanction was listed, aiming North Korea to have limited amount of budget to enable its military exercise.

Although Japan and the U.S. agreed on many solutions to political issues, during the economical discussion, it did not reach the mutually agreed conclusion. Whereas the Japanese side was aiming to re-include the U.S. into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP,) Mr. James Choff declined Japan’s suggestion as had been done during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump earlier conference, President Trump clearly represented his vision that U.S. will not be joining TPP. This means that TPP will remain as 11 countries, yet they might eventually add more countries.

After the productive conference, Mr. Basir Ahmad Hamdard had the privilege to talk to attendants from Japan and U.S., and expressed his thoughts on the same matters as a representative of a country that is in the similar position.

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