“Biden wants to build on the existing relationship with Tokyo and help the regional security alliance, while Kishida knows that the support of Washington is important for his chances of retaining power in the party and when he calls the general election.” Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s Waseda University, told This Week in Asia.
On Monday, the White House issued a statement on the 82nd anniversary of President Franklin Roosevelt signing an executive order approving the blanket incarceration of more than 120,000 people including Japanese-Americans. Biden called the order “shameful” and pointed out that around half of the internees were children.
Japan urged to fix ‘serious’ risk of state secrets falling into China’s hands
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“Families were separated. Communities were torn apart. People were stripped of their dignity. And the unconstitutional and unconscionable policy was even upheld by the Supreme Court,” Biden said.
“We remember the tragic legacy of Executive Order 9066 – and the trauma it inflicted – by reaffirming the Federal Government’s formal apology to Japanese Americans,” he added. “And by stating unequivocally: Nidoto Nai Yono – to ‘Let It Not Happen Again’.”
These comments also helpful to both leaders politically ahead of Kishida’s trip to Washington next month for face-to-face talks with Biden
Waseda University’s Shigemura said on Wednesday that Biden’s comments were, “very significant and impressive to the Japanese government and people.
“These comments also helpful to both leaders politically ahead of Kishida’s trip to Washington next month for face-to-face talks with Biden,” he said.
The injustices of the internment policy were recognised as far back as 1988, when then-President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, issued a formal apology and provided US$20,000 each in reparations to surviving Japanese-Americans who had been detained.
Biden has built on that, signing a bill in 2022 that designated the location of a former internment camp in Colorado as a national historic site. The camp housed more than 10,000 people at its peak and now includes a cemetery, a monument and replicas of some of the buildings that housed detainees.
More Japanese expats in US, China returning home amid rising costs of living
More Japanese expats in US, China returning home amid rising costs of living
Biden also used his statement to pay tribute to the 33,000 Japanese-Americans who “stepped up and courageously served in the US military during World War II”.
Saying they had volunteered “in the face of injustice,” he added, “Their sacrifice, their resilience and their belief that civil liberties and freedom must be vigorously defended inspire us today.”
Stephen Nagy, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s International Christian University, agreed that Biden’s message was designed to earn political points by emphasising the importance of Washington’s economic and security alliances.
US looks to Japan shipyards deal to stay battle-ready amid tensions in region
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“That plays well to the detente-minded and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party,” he added.
“This did not start under Biden and for a long time the two sides have been working hard to put the past behind them and to emphasise that Japan is fully wedded to the post-World War II, Western-led order,” he said.