HONG KONG — U.S. President Barack Obama has so many things on his plate — including a spreading oil spill that threatens America's fisheries and wildlife, Democratic Party prospects in the midterm elections, the jobless recovery, repercussions of the financial crisis, relentless war in Afghanistan, fresh strife in the Middle East and how to deal with the emerging mega-power China — that he probably does not want to be bothered with the petty domestic squabbles of a fading economic power in East Asia.
But it is high time that the U.S. president give serious attention to Japan, which so far he has failed to do. If he is wise, in the next few weeks Obama will take the initiative and announce that his administration, in cooperation with the government and people of Japan, will re-examine its overall military force deployment in Japan in the context of the vital U.S.-Japan security agreement.
He shouldn't make specific promises until negotiations, but he at least can recognize Okinawa's burden of hosting half the 48,000 U.S. troops based in Japan.