Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy's congratulation letter to Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister-designate of Japan

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA

September 9, 2009

Mr. Yukio Hatoyama
President of the Democratic Party of Japan
Prime Minister-designate of Japan
Tokyo

By kindness of

Mr. Masafumi Kuroki
Ambassador of Japan
Embassy of Japan
Phnom Penh

Dear President Hatoyama,

On behalf of the people of Cambodia and on my own behalf, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Prime Minister-designate of Japan following the resounding election victory of the Democratic Party of Japan on August 30, 2009.

I am convinced that under your leadership, and given the noble principles upheld by the DPJ, Japan is opening a new and glorious chapter of her history. This brings about pride and hope not only for the people of Japan but also for the peoples of Asia who look up to Japan as a model of democracy.

The Cambodian people feel very close to the Japanese people on this occasion because the DPJ's historic victory shows to all that democratic change is possible even in a country where entrenched interests are very powerful and the same ruling party has been in power for very long decades.

I would like to seize this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Japanese people for their generosity toward the Cambodian people as evidenced by the continuous and multi-faceted assistance that Cambodia has received from Japan since the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1991.

The Cambodian people are confident that the new Government of Japan under your leadership will continue to help Cambodia in an even more effective way. This means first helping Cambodia to help itself, which implies seriously fighting against corruption, strongly promoting good governance through concrete and effective measures, and really strengthening the democratization process as enshrined in the Paris Peace Accords of which Japan is a key signatory.

I wish you and the DPJ a brilliant success in your historic mission to rejuvenate Japan and to make your beautiful country a beacon of democracy and solidarity for Asia and the whole world.

Respectful regards,

Sam Rainsy, MP
Leader of the Opposition

Japanese in Cambodia Facing New Government

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 September 2009

Japanese diplomats, businessmen and employees congratulated the win of Japan’s opposition in recent elections, which broke half a century of ruling party rule, but some were wary the new party would make many changes.

The Democratic Party of Japan defeated the Liberal Democratic Party in Aug. 30 polls with a landslide win that made it the largest party in the lower house of parliament, with 308 of 480 seats.

Yano Tusi, owner of Ko Ko Ro restaurant in Phnom Penh, laughed happily when he was asked about his new government.

“Before, [the ruling party] worked for the rich people,” he said. “Rich people became richer, poor people became poorer. But now maybe [the opposition] will work for the poor.”

Japan’s next prime minister will be the DPJ’s president, Yuko Hatoyama, who is expected to be formally voted in on Sept. 16 and to name his cabinet in the days that follow.

Hatoyama had a chance to overthrown his strong competitor, the former premier Taro Aso, and the ruling party, because the opposition vowed to recover nearly $98 billion in “wasteful spending” through reductions in civil-servant and personnel costs and the upkeep of government offices over the next four years.

The DPJ also promised free high school education, free highways, a four-year freeze on the consumption tax, which is currently at 5 percent, and the creation of jobs in the private and agricultural sectors.

“I hope it is good,” said Sathol Miura, president of the Japanese Travel Agency APEX, in Phnom Penh. “It will make changes in the economy to create jobs and tourism.”

Japan’s economy has fallen sharply in the last decade, bringing worries that it could lose its place as the second-largest in the world. Many Japanese lost faith in the ruling party after its officials faced internal scandals and failed to expand the job market and national economy.

However, not everyone is convinced the DPJ can turn things around.

“It’s a hard experience to change for the new party,” said Hiroobu Kurata, president of Kurata Pepper. “I can’t say the policy is good. I can only hope that it will be changed, but if they change all the policies, some projects might be broken.”

Yamasaki Yuki, a Japanese-Khmer translator, said she didn’t hold too much hope for the new party, as it contains parts of the old.

“I suspect that it is not so good because the new party and the old one is the same,” she said. “I’m not really satisfied with these two big parties.”

Hatoyoma, 62, finished his PhD in engineering at Stanford University. He was born into a wealthy political family. His grandfather, Ichiro Hatoyama, was the ruling LDP’s first former Japanese prime minister. He began his political career in 1983 with the ruling party and later lead his own party, the DPJ.

Japan is Cambodia’s biggest donor. According to a report provided by the Japanese Embassy, some 830 Japanese nationals now live in the country. They work in tourism, hotels, restaurants, embassies and NGOs. Some are students.

Prime Minister Hun Sen recently congratulated the success of the DPJ and said he expected bilateral relations between the two countries would strengthen.

Political comments on the relationships with Japan following the Japanese opposition’s election victory

01 September 2009
By Leang Delux
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Japan’s opposition party recently won the election with a mandate to lead the country. This change leads to diverging comments from Cambodian politicians, in particular regarding the bilateral relationship between Japan and Cambodia, because Japan is the largest donor country to Cambodia.

Up until now, Japan is the largest donor country to Cambodia. Will the new Japanese government affect the bilateral relationships between Cambodia and Japan or not?

The Cambodian government believes that there will be no effect on the bilateral relationships between the two countries, but for Cambodia’s opposition parties, the new Japanese government will pay closer attention to aids provided to Cambodia.

Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman, indicated that the relationship between Japan and Cambodia is a relationship at a governmental level, i.e. not a relationship at a party level. Khieu Kanharith added that: “Furthermore, PM Hun Xen maintain relationships with all political parties. Therefore, Cambodia hopes that there will be no change in regards to the bilateral relationships, and neither will there be any change in the aids that the Japanese government pledged to Cambodia.”

Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Cambodian ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained that Japan has a history of helping to bring peace in Cambodia since 1993. Also, Japan is an ASEAN partner and it is a close partner of Cambodia as well. Therefore, he believes that the relationships between the two countries will not be reduced. Koy Kuong explained that the political party change in the leading of the country is Japan’s internal issue. “However, the foreign policy of the new government will improve with other countries,” Koy Kuong added.

Cambodia’s opposition party believes that it is the opposite. Yim Sovann, SRP spokesman, commented that he used to meet with MPs of the Democratic Party of Japan (the winner of Japan’s election), and they want to see a more efficient use of Japanese aids, in particular, they want to see Japanese aids benefiting Cambodian people directly and that they do not fall into the hands of corrupt officials. Yim Sovann presumed that, from now on, Japan will pay closer attention to its aids to Cambodia.

Kem Sokha, HRP party president, also made similar comments to Yim Sovann regarding the policy of the Democratic Party of Japan which recently won the election. The DPJ’s goal is to strengthen democracy and the respect of human rights. Regarding diplomatic relations, Kem Sokha did not want to say directly that there could be a reduction of relationship between the new Japanese government and the current ruling party of Cambodia. However, Kem Sokha noted that the DPJ does not maintain close relationships with the CPP, unlike the case of the former ruling Japanese party.

Japan Poised for Historic Political Shift in Predicted Election Landslide

Yukio Hatoyama, left, greets supporters during a Parliament's lower house election campaign in Tokyo, 23 Aug 2009

By Kurt Achin, VOA
Tokyo
28 August 2009

More than half a century of all but uncontested political leadership in Japan appears set to end this weekend, as voters elect new parliamentary representatives. Polls indicate a center-left party is set to topple conservatives who are viewed by many as out of touch with the average Japanese family. The election may recast how Japan views itself and its relations with the international community.

Just days before the election, polls continue to support the widely held belief that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso will experience a crushing defeat in Sunday's vote for the lower house of the country's parliament.

One major late-week poll indicated at least twice as many voters would cast ballots for the Democratic Party of Japan, led by the country's likely next Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama.

At recent rallies, Hatoyama told supporters, the day has come to change the history of Japan. He calls on them to step into the new era with courage.

480 lower house seats are at stake in Sunday's vote. Some political experts have predicted the DPJ may capture as many as 300 of those, giving it a resounding mandate in both the upper and lower house. The LDP has controlled Japan's parliament almost without interruption for 55 years.

Jeffrey Kingston, Director Of Asian Studies at Japan's Temple University, says the DPJ lead does not indicate the party has swept voters off their feet.

"Clearly this is not a vote for the DPJ," he said. "It's a vote against the LDP. People are fed up."

The ruling LDP enraged Japanese voters last year when it announced it had "misplaced" the pension records of millions of aging voters. Kingston says the public also blames the LDP for Japan's economic hardship.

"People have seen the misery index soar out of control over the past ten months," he said. "Unemployment is up, foreclosures and bankruptcies are up, suicides are up-- and wages, bonuses, and job security are down. So there's nothing to like about this scenario."

The DPJ's Hatoyama has promised to overhaul the entire social contract in Japan - promising government financial support for child care and the elderly, while stripping power from the country's entrenched bureaucracy. He has also signalled that he will re-examine Japan's role in the international community.

Taniguchi Tomohiko is a professor at Japan's Meiji University and an advisor to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo. He says the DPJ is likely to shift Japan's regional focus.

"They [DPJ] are openly arguing that given where Japan is, Japan should cut a good balance between its time-honored alliance with the United States, and its growing importance of having a good relationship with China," said Tomohiko. "By so saying, it is obvious that [the] Democrats are leaning slightly toward China and distancing little from the United States."

Taniguchi says the DPJ has sent some mixed signals about how it will deal with the approximately 50,000 U.S. forces stationed in Japan.

"They're saying that the U.S. military should be reduced, in terms of its footprint, from Japan and the next day they will say no significant change could happen even if we are in office," he said. "So, objectively speaking, many people should be scratching their heads."

A DPJ government is expect to maintain a firm policy line on North Korea - viewed by many Japanese as a direct threat.