MY LIFE IN JAPAN a blog from kyoto for friends and family

I am listening to a podcast from The Japan Considered Project of the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina and really enjoying it. I highly recommend it. (Transcripts are available on the podcast page...The latest podcast link is here)

The discussion is really intelligently done. This week he discusses the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to Graceland. You've probably heard about it in the press:

Nearly all of the media coverage sounds as if were written by journalists who’d recently completed summer internships at People Magazine! So, it inevitably will be known to future generations as the “Elvis Summit.”

I just got interrupted while writing this entry...A call from a school wishing to set up an interview. YAY!
Anyway, it then goes on, in a more serious vein, to discuss the changing relationship between japan and the us, and the "daigatsu" phenomenon.

President Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi agreed to urge North Korea to reconsider its plans to test an intercontinental ballistic missile. In quite blunt terms. They agreed on the need for Mainland China to clarify the objectives of its growing military expenditures, and provide more transparent accounting. They weren’t sidetracked by concern over Yasukuni Shrine visits, or the like. President Bush sincerely thanked Prime Minister Koizumi for Japan’s support in Iraq specifically, and in the battle against terror in general. And while differences of opinion on the Iran problem and India’s nuclear future were apparent, they were handled comfortably and confidently by both sides.

So, there was much more to this bilateral summit meeting than mutual appreciation of the music and showmanship of rock and roll legend, Elvis Presley.

The Role of Gai-Atsu

Perhaps most important, this bilateral summit meeting diverged from the traditional post-World War Two pattern in that “gai-atsu” appears to have played virtually no role in the planning or conduct of the meetings.

“Gai-Atsu” is a Japanese word that simply means external -- or foreign -- pressure. I use it here not to display my Japanese linguistic abilities. But because it is commonly used in English when discussing the conduct of U.S.-Japan relations. Perhaps only “Sushi” is a more familiar Japanese term for folks in Washington involved with Japan. Everyone seems to know the word “gai-atsu,” and to use it in daily conversation. Though they may not fully understand all of its implications.

Then he goes on to explain the history of this important concept, and how it played out in this summit. It was really interesting. Do check it out.

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