Did prospects for improved US-Japan relations sink with the Ehime Maru off Waikiki last week? Probably not, but the reaction to what all agree was a tragic accident demonstrates the fragility of the alliance and the growing need for the more sensitive "American leadership without arrogance" promised by President George W. Bush upon his inauguration.
While the US-Japan relationship got off to a positive start -- one of President Bush's first calls upon assuming the presidency was to Prime Minister Mori, who is expected to be one of Bush's first overseas visitors, probably early next month -- it did not take long for a dose of reality to burst the bubble of euphoria over the declared end of "Japan passing."
The first blow came from the leaked (but nonetheless inexcusable) e-mail to the troops from the commander of Okinawa-based Marines, Lieutenant General Earl Hailston, referring to his hosts as "wimps" and "nuts." This has since been compounded by what is viewed as a lack of responsiveness by General Hailston in turning over into Japanese custody a US Marine accused of arson. But it is the collision of the US nuclear submarine Greeneville with the Japanese training ship, which resulted in nine students and fishermen missing and presumed dead, that has most fully captured the news and revealed the increasingly tarnished image of the US military among the Japanese populace. In reality, the US, in most respects, seems to have responded appropriately in the wake of the accident. The sub remained on the scene, directing US Coast Guard ships and helicopters to the accident site. The US Navy immediately launched its own investigation and relieved the captain of his command, even as National Transportation Safety Board investigators -- highly-respected for their comprehensive, objective analysis of accidents -- rushed to Honolulu. A US Navy search vessel is also exploring the wreckage and attempting to account for the missing. President Bush, Secretary of State Powell, and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld have also all made personal calls to their counterparts expressing America's sincere apology and deep regret and promising a thorough investigation.
But, the Japanese public and media seem to be growing increasingly critical, fed as much by rumors and innuendo as by the facts at hand. Prime Minister Mori's failure to cut short his golf game, underway when he first received news of the tragedy, has helped further politicize coverage of the event (and disproved the theory that Mori's popularity rating could not possibly get any lower).
Most disconcerting was the US Navy's delayed announcement that civilian guests aboard the ship were seated at control stations (albeit under close and constant supervision) during the sub's surfacing. The delay in revealing this fact has helped prompt accusations of a cover-up, while casting doubt on the US Navy's (apparently accurate) assertion that civilian actions in no way contributed to the accident. The fact that the surfaced submarine did not attempt to rescue survivors -- an action which would have likely caused many who at the time were safe and secure in rubber rafts to be placed at extreme risk, given that submarines (specially in choppy seas) are ill-suited for rescue operations -- has been inaccurately portrayed by some as evidence of callousness, further fanning the flames. If the long-term impact of this tragic accident is to be minimized, US authorities must be as forthcoming as possible in revealing the facts of the accident as they unfold.
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