Only the Japan loses little by little of the land

It is one of the ideas of the election campaign that Yukio Hatoyama does not fail to develop as soon as the opportunity he is given. With its Chinese counterparts, at the Summit of Asem or 4eEast Asia Summit, the Prime Minister of the Japan was drawn in recent weeks, tirelessly, the contours of what would be a community of Asia of the is. On paper, the head of the Government wishes to reproduce the model of the single European market in Asia and repeats forever wanting to draw on the experience of the old Continent. At this difference that the European Union is built on a base policy, while the Japan grows this project with real economic ulterior motive. By repositioning the Japan as a regional power, the head of Government wants to make this Asia developing a kind of base fed technologies developed in the archipelago. "We must preserve a green Asia", launched at the Summit of Asem to Singapore in November, as to remember that the Japan is tip in renewable energy or electric car.

A "brotherhood zone".

The stakes are commensurate with the size of the market. Yukio Hatoyama defends the idea of a zone in 16 countries, including the Japan and the ten countries of Asean (1), China, South Korea, the New Zealand, the Australia and the India. "Together, these countries accounted for 23 per cent in the formation of global GDP in 2008, and this figure is expected to grow," said the Prime Minister detailing his plan at the Asem Summit. A alone, the Japan, China and the South Korea counted in 2008 for 16 of global GDP. The ten Asean countries have a more modest weight across the planet, but with real growth potential. Only the Japan loses little by little of the land. In 1993, the archipelago was 20.2 of trade in Asean, China 2.1. Fifteen years later, the part of the Japan fell to 12.4, China is mounted to 11.3. Is that a such as ambition is not enough to regain control in the area.

China is certainly one of the main pitfalls in the Japanese project. Already because it defends, also, a similar idea, however excluding the Australia, the New Zealand and the India. Then, because Beijing wants to highlight its economic exercise, also its regional leadership power and thus lock its sphere of influence. Yukio Hatoyama may want to create a "brotherhood zone", it does not ignore the headwinds that will inevitably blow.

The Japan suffers from a bad image that it must regain Korea and China. The weight of the past, unresolved territorial disputes were added to the bad memories in populations. Concerned about the delay in catching up, the Japanese Democratic Party, Hatoyama is President, has just trigger a seduction operation by sending 140 members and 450 businessmen in both countries to try to find a new basis for dialogue. But the Japan part from afar. The other negative point is the United States which, a priori, would not be included in this project, of which the statement has created a real stir in Washington. At the time, the United States turning mockery that future Community of East Asia.

Initiate reforms

In order to convince, the Japan must first and mainly engage in deep reforms at home. It takes, otherwise, the risk to have difficulty in defending the establishment of a single market while his remains highly protected, especially for agricultural products. It may equally be strongly criticized by advocating an opening of borders to migration flows while hers are hermetically closed. However, without clear answers, the community of Asia to the East of Yukio Hatoyama may remain long in the State of project.