Bush, Koizumi raise support for each other

Reviewed By Hitoshi URABE

Article:
"Bush, Koizumi raise support for each other"
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20020219/ts_usatoday/3870527
Laurence McQuillan, USA TODAY

Related Article:
"Koizumi gets vote of confidence from Bush"
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/primenews/story/0,1870,103452,00.html?
By Kwan Weng Kin, Singapore Straits Times

"Bush backs Koizumi reforms"
http://asia.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/02/18/bush.japan/index.html
CNN

Comments:
The headlines say everything. The heads of states agreed on every agenda.
Mr. Bush praised everything what Mr. Koizumi was doing to fight the depressed economy, and Mr. Koizumi expressed his support for Mr. Bush's fight against terrorism. Mr. Koizumi has even gone so far as to sympathize with Mr. Bush's reluctance in signing the Kyoto Protocol on carbon dioxide emission, where Japan was supposed to be pushing hard for it to become effective.

So, the President's visit in a way seemed rather uneventful. In fact, because they were so openly in sync with each other that there was virtually no room for any criticism based on ambiguity to creep in.

Mr. Bush, or at least his aids in the administration, has had commented on Mr. Koizumi's measures to revive the depressed economy on a number of occasions. And the comments were, while supportive of the direction of Japan's policies in general, most of the time severe criticism derived from frustration that the results are coming out too slowly, if at all.

The significance of Mr. Bush's attitude this time is, then, the fact that he has expressed his will to wait, to be more patient, to see the results of Mr. Koizumi's policy maneuvers. Mr. Bush has declared that he not only supports the path laid out by Mr. Koizumi, he also approves the speed by which the realization of policies to muddle through the path.

The fact seems, in effect, has calmed down some of the criticism from both the ruling and opposing parties. With Mr. Bush wholeheartedly expressing his understanding of the difficult task Mr. Koizumi is facing, many who were critical because of immaterializing results seem to have lost some of their steam. Mr. Bush's strong endorsement, which itself is an effective encouragement, has also bought a little more time for Mr. Koizumi to pursue his present policies, and to show results.