An Interview with Nakasone

"The U.S. and Japan are bound by destiny to help each other"

Despite the long hours that he is putting in at his new job, Yasuhiro Nakasone was relaxed last week in his spartan but spacious office in the 1920s-style official Prime Minister's residence in Tokyo. On the eve of his first meeting with Ronald Reagan, Nakasone, nattily attired in a well-cut gray suit and soft black leather loafers, discussed a wide range of U.S.-Japanese concerns with TIME's Tokyo bureau chief Edwin Reingold. Highlights:

On U.S.-Japanese friction: Japan has become the second largest economy in the free world, after the U.S., and it is inevitable that there should be friction between two such economic giants. It would be extraordinary if there were no friction. The major task for business and government leaders is how to deal with it. I see opportunities for experts in both countries to share their wisdom and resources for coexistence. In some sectors, on some subjects, it might be quite feasible to conduct joint research or joint enterprises so that we can open the way for a competitive but cooperative kind of relationship. Both of us would be advised to plan very far ahead for cooperation on high technology.

On protectionism: Protectionism motivated by short-range selfish interests will only cause a chain reaction of protective measures. This creates the grave danger of accelerating the recession into a 1930s-like depression. If that happens, Japan is the country with the most to lose. Therefore, by employing every means at our disposal, we must shatter this tide of protectionism and guard free trade. If there is a depression, the country that will be the most pleased will be the Soviet Union.

On trade: It is important to solve the problems of trade one by one. Since last May, Japan has reduced tariffs substantially, or abolished or otherwise liberalized imports on some 300 items. We have recently taken more urgent action--though you might say somewhat belatedly, somewhat tardily--on tariffs on tobacco products, chocolate and other items. We shall continue to make these efforts to solve individual problems.

On opening Japan's markets to more imports: This is the most important point. There are various standards and requirements, safety examinations and testing, that are going to be improved--drastically. I have ordered such efforts. For example, on boats there are still complex procedures for import inspections that might be taken as harassment, and I have ordered drastic measures to simplify those procedures. I have also ordered an investigation into procedures for certifying the acceptability of products at the manufacturing site overseas. By approving the factory itself, all products from that factory could be imported freely into Japan. I want to do this on every possible product. I am ordering a comprehensive study of across-the-board legislation to handle all these problems. I should have a report within a month.

On defense: When Japan became independent [of the Allied powers in 1952], it was totally without arms and depended entirely on the U.S. But remember, I am the architect of the Defense Agency Establishment Law and the Self-Defense Forces Law [which allow for limited Japanese armed forces]. Our self-defense capability has continued to improve, and the operation of the Japan-U.S. security treaty has been undergoing changes. What Japan can do is strengthen our own capabilities to defend the Japanese archipelago, and we can and are giving the fullest cooperation in consultation with the U.S. in deploying [forces] in the most effective strategic and tactical posture. I believe Japan's own defense capabilities and U.S. capabilities, centering on the Seventh Fleet, are in a complementary relationship through our [bilateral] security treaty. The treaty itself contains language about maintaining peace and stability in the Far East. In this sense, one could say that as Japan buttresses its own defense capability, it will allow the U.S. to expand its scope or sphere of exercise or operation.

On revising Japan's antiwar constitution: The three cornerstones of the building of postwar Japan have been the peace treaty following World War II, the U.S.-Japanese security treaty and the constitution. The Communist Party and the left wing in general have argued for a policy of unarmed neutrality based on their interpretation of constitutional Article 9 [which renounces war as a sovereign right]. But the interpretation by the Liberal Democratic Party and by a majority of the Japanese people has always been that we can maintain the minimum self-defense capability, that an independent nation is entitled to maintain sufficient armed forces for minimum self-defense. There has been confusion as regards this from the days right after the war until today, so some people have been arguing that we must establish a national political consensus that we can maintain self-defense forces. People have been led to feel that any discussion of revision of the constitution is taboo. But in a free and democratic society there should be no taboos. Although I will not place constitutional revision on my political timetable, I firmly believe that we must destroy all taboos in our free democratic society.

On future relations with the U.S.: The first thing I learned from the Americans [after the war] was humanism, the fact that American soldiers had a deeply held belief in humanism beyond the battlefield toward their former foes, civilian or military. The second was their businesslike attitude and their efficiency. America was Japan's mentor or teacher. But of late the student has been showing signs of excelling the teacher, and the teacher might be getting a little jealous of the student's achievements. The student hopes the teacher will progress further and keep abreast or stay ahead of the student. The student in the meantime is rapidly depleting his energy and weakening his footing. The U.S. has been a very good teacher to Japan, and the student does not want to fight the teacher. Instead, the student hopes that the two most important nations in the free world can help each other and hand in hand build a free world. These two Pacific nations are bound by destiny, I believe, to help and collaborate with each other. Disputes and friction will continue to arise, but if you take a little longer view, all of them can be solved. Both of us should try to put ourselves into each other's shoes and continue to make sincere and consistent efforts as free-world teammates.

On Japan's international image: I want to improve things so that Japan will be able to keep its honorable place in the world community and be known as a nation of fair-minded people. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.