Friday, Jan. 15, 1965

The Pilgrim on Flight 800

Traditionally, a new Japanese Prime Minister does nothing until he has made his pilgrimage to the Ise Grand Shrines, humbly to request the support of Shinto gods. These days he also goes to Washington. Off last week on Japan Air Lines' Flight No. 800 flew Premier Eisaku Sato, 63, for his first trip to the U.S. since he took over from ailing Hayato Ikeda two months ago.

Son of a Honshu sake bottler, Sato earned a degree from Tokyo University law school, started work as a government railways stationmaster, quickly rose to the post of Deputy Minister of Railways. As such, he caught the eye of postwar Premier Shigeru Yoshida, who made Sato his chief Cabinet secretary. Further boosted by another Premier, Nobusuke Kishi, who was his elder brother,* Sato went on to become a live wire in five Cabinets, played a leading role in Japan's economic miracle (his first name means literally "Prosperity Maker"). So smooth are Sato's looks that he has been called "a perfect kabuki actor"; so devious are his political maneuvers that his nickname is Haraguro, literally "Black Belly," which is Japanese for schemer.

Louder Voice. Sato is under political pressure at home to give Japan a louder and more independent voice abroad, and thus, even more than his predecessors, he will be angling to bring back from Washington an omiyage--the gift that, according to Japanese custom, a host presents an honored guest. During two scheduled huddles with President Johnson, the Japanese leader will probably renew his country's request for more administrative say-so on Okinawa, the onetime Japanese possession that the U.S. military still occupies. Sato may also protest U.S. restrictions on Japanese textiles and renew Japan's long-pending --and so far unsuccessful--request for air rights over the U.S. to complete Japan Air Lines' round-the-world route.

Mainly, however, Sato will be anxious to probe the whole range of U.S. policy in Asia, especially policy toward Communist China. He will explain Japan's viewpoint on trade with Peking: that commerce should be separated from politics. Fact is, Washington is not overly concerned about Japanese commerce with the Reds; after all, it amounts to less than 2% of Japanese foreign trade, and Peking's permanent shortage of foreign exchange is a built-in brake.

Double Frown. But Sato will be disappointed if, as seems possible, he is hoping to swing the U.S. toward the increasingly popular view in Japan that Red China should be brought into the U.N.--and perhaps even receive diplomatic recognition. Washington remains opposed to both--and for its part will probably reiterate the U.S. desire to see Japan take a stronger anti-Communist leadership role, as Asia's only fully industrialized nation. And that role would not include giving a helping hand to the men in Peking.

* But who, like many Japanese men, adopted his wife's last name.

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