Japan - American Realtions, Emphasis on Labor Affairs

Abstract

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Mr. Immerman recieved his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Lyon, France. In 1956 entered the Department of State Foreign Service. Assignments have included service at the American Embassy in Tokyo; Labor Attache, American Embassy, Guatemala; Political Officer, US Mission to the United Nations, New York; Executive Seminar, Department of State. Spending academic year 1984-85 on sabbatical leave in New York City as fellow of Una Chapman Cox Foundation attached to Columbia University's East Asia Institute, and also the Council on Foreign Relations and the Japan Society, Inc.

SUMMARY U.S. has to stop blaming Japan for the U.S. having a fantasy federal budget. One U.S. problem is the high value of the dollar; thus losing markets to Brazil and Argentina. Some in Congress complain that Japan should pay more for its defense. But Japan already pays the U.S. 1 billion a year to station 50,000 U.S. troops (versus Germany's paying 1.3 billion for 200,000+ troops. The U.S. does run a trade deficit with Japan but should weigh third party trade: U.S. buys from Japan, Japan buys from third world, third world buys from U.S. Japan is feeling that it is number one; this has cultural consequences because in Japan duties up and down in relations change given one's hierarchical position and U.S. continues to act as number one. Japanese youth and journalists visiting or studying in the U.S. see crime and the poor and the homeless and think they know all about the U.S. and feel superior. Japanese negotiating style also frustrates the U.S. because it takes a long time to get to substance; indirection is the pattern until the chief honchos agree face to face, eventually.