RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Japan's prime minister is in the U.S. this week. In addition to meeting with President Obama and signing a defense agreement, Shinzo Abe will address Congress. His visit comes at a critical point for a major Asia-Pacific trade deal, both in talks between the two countries and between the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: There was a time not so long ago that the prime minister's office in Tokyo appeared to have a revolving door. Japan went through four prime ministers during President Obama's first three years in office alone. Shinzo Abe swept to power again in late 2012, determined to rebuild Japan's battered economy and elevate the country's role on the world stage. During his U.S. visit, he'll have a summit with President Obama and a state dinner at the White House with 300 guests. Image is important to the Abe administration, and it'll be on display during this U.S. visit, says Shihoko Goto, an Asia specialist with the Woodrow Wilson Center.
SHIHOKO GOTO: He's very charismatic. He has a very charming wife, and so she will be a great asset to him at the public events. The White House is going - really going out full force to roll out the red carpet for him.
NORTHAM: One of the first things the two allies will do is sign updated defense cooperation guidelines. The revised guidelines call for a more active role for Japan's military. That's important, given concerns over North Korea's nuclear capability and China's rising military prowess. Since World War II, Japan has had a pacifist constitution, which has constrained its military. Prime Minister Abe has been seeking to ease restrictions on the armed forces, says Goto.
GOTO: The neighborhood is becoming increasingly dangerous, and also the fact that the United States is overstretched and that Japan really does need to step up to the plate to ensure not only its own stability and security, but also the region's stability and security as well.
NORTHAM: The role of Japan's military could cast a shadow during Abe's visit. Korean groups and others are calling on him to apologize for Japan's aggression during World War II when he addresses Congress Wednesday. It will be the first time ever a Japanese prime minister will address a joint meeting of Congress. And there will be two key audiences - U.S. lawmakers and the Asian community. Gerald Curtis, a political professor at Columbia University, says Abe will have to tread carefully in his speech - address the war then move on.
GERALD CURTIS: It's an opportunity to celebrate the success of Japanese postwar democracy and diplomacy and the U.S.-Japan alliance. But he has to deal with this history issue so that it doesn't completely drive attention away from really what's most important, which is where we go from now on.
NORTHAM: One of the things the U.S. is looking for is to reinforce its commitment to Asia, which includes solidifying economic ties. Central to that is an enormous Asia-Pacific trade deal called the Trans Pacific Partnership, or TPP. Japan and the U.S. have been locked in the final, toughest stages of negotiations over things like imports of rice. Alison Evans, an Asia specialist at IHS Country Risk, believes that the differences could be narrowed by the time the two leaders meet.
ALISON EVANS: These negotiations have gone on for a couple years. However, with Abe's visit to Washington, D.C., there's been a lot of momentum that has brought the negotiators on the Japanese and the U.S. side together.
NORTHAM: And that could give both Obama and Abe a chance to say there's been progress when the two leaders meet this week. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington.
Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.