A Call to Action for U.S.-Japan
The world as we know it has fundamentally changed—and 80 years of postwar American leadership in the U.S.-Japan relationship is now at stake.
If we stay in the same framework that we’ve been in for the past 80 years, what does that mean? Looking across the street at the United Nations from my office I note with sadness this year’s symbolic Nuclear Proliferation Treaty meetings in April and the commemorations that follow in August, reminding us of the tragedies at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Unfortunately, these ring hollow as the UN Security Council is rendered impotent by Russia while Europe faces its first land war in Ukraine since World War II.
Navigating the next decade
It’s not just the election of Donald Trump that signifies America’s desire for strong leadership and turn towards hard power. President Trump is a symptom of American’s skepticism about globalization and leadership, not the root cause as we turn inward. Looking at world history, America’s proactive global role has been more an anomaly tied to an imbalance of global power dynamics. Therefore, as America focuses on itself first, it is an opportunity for Japan to step up and take agency; it is especially urgent now for everyone in the U.S.-Japan space to come together for a common purpose, this is not a time for competition or complacency.
We need to hone in on our shared understanding of what we are experiencing and how all of us are going to navigate the next decades from a political point of view. Our collective mission remains the same but the way that we execute on it needs to be very different. We need to get ready to meet that moment. It’s not going to be a simple solution like doing more cultural exchange programs or creating new institutions to better appreciate the arts and culture and the superpower of Japan. Funding and institutions may be under attack, but focusing on and reinvigorating the right institutions aligned with our collective mission will be key. This isn’t going to happen on its own, and no individual or institution can do it alone.
The politics of fear
We all feel that there’s something wrong in the world today and we all want to respond to it. Right now, the political leadership that in the past has reinforced the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship is actually making it much more difficult to sustain given the divisiveness of domestic politics. How do we work with the politics of fear versus the politics of hope? Take, for example, Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney, who put President Trump’s threats to Canada front and center during his campaign or, in a very different way, the surprising elevation of an American to Pope of the Catholic Church.
Beyond Canada, there is already a reaction in the U.S. as Americans realize that while we may be sick of being the world’s global policemen we also don’t like being called the bully in the world. Historically, Americans and American presidents have preferred to see ourselves as President Lincoln’s “better angels” rather than the alternative!
Taking responsibility for the future
Framing this in the context of U.S.-Japan, I’m being asked over and over again by my Japanese friends for a simple solution on how to manage President Trump. Unfortunately it’s not that simple. Nor can we simply wait out the next three years for a return to “normal” as this is the new normal. My own lived experience tells me that the answer lies in getting more involved—which as citizens, is our greatest responsibility. How I am doing this is to continue as President and CEO of Japan Society to invite our members to be part of something that is bigger than themselves. It’s a bit like my pastor father or even Pope Leo preaching about the future with a higher divine calling.
I recently had the chance to visit Mt. Koya which is considered the spiritual home of Shingon Buddhism in Japan and among the holiest places I have experienced, with an energy that I have only felt in a place like Jerusalem. In discussion with the Chief Abbott I was impressed by how simple his message of inner peace and mantras for enlightenment was as if tailor made for this moment yet coming from a place of timeless wisdom. Whether Buddhist, Christian, or beyond, you can become a part of this higher collective power that we as citizens of democracies can exercise together. By aligning ourselves to be more responsive and not hiding behind the institutions and structures we’ve created for ourselves, we can adapt to the world around us to become more fluid and comfortable in a time of uncertainty.
This is what the world calls for in a time of deep uncertainty, and part of the role of leadership is in responding to that. It’s why people are flocking to Kyoto, though I would encourage tourists to get of f the well-worn Tokkaido road to experience timeless gems like Mt. Koya. This is what I hope we can take away together—my heartfelt call to action for each of you not only to do your part in your own world to make it just a little better but to become part of something that is greater than yourself, for the sake of U.S.-Japan and for the world.
Joshua Walker, Ph.D. (@drjwalk) is President and CEO of Japan Society. Follow @japansociety. The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.