Japan's political feud spills onto world stage

Makiko Tanaka denies being critical of the U.S. National Missile Defense Plan

By staff and wire reports

TOKYO, Japan -- When Junichiro Koizumi promised to shed new light on Japan's notoriously closed-door political system, he probably didn't expect it to reveal a large pile of dirty laundry.

The popular new prime minister has found himself stuck in the middle of a bitter feud between one of his most controversial appointees, the fiery Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, and a handful of elite Liberal Democratic Party bureaucrats.

The spat is being played out on the front pages of Japan's newspapers, consisting of allegations of leaks and damaging comments that observers say can be traced directly back to the opposing sides.

Although the internecine feud resembles something from a political soap opera, the mud being thrown back and forth is tarnishing observers as far away as the United States, Europe and Australia.

At the heart of the row are allegations that Tanaka expressed criticism of U.S. plans for a missile defense shield during separate meetings with foreign ministers from Italy, Germany and Australia.

The first time Tanaka was reported to have criticized the U.S. National Missile Defense plan was when she spoke with Dini at a summit for Asian and European foreign ministers in Beijing last month.

In the latest reports on Tuesday, Tanaka reportedly made similar comments to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fisher at the same meeting, adding a suggestion that Japan should consider changing its security arrangement with the United States.

"Japan has been protected by the U.S. nuclear umbrella," Kyodo News service quoted her as saying. "That was the easy way. Now Japan has become the world's second-largest economy and it has to shoulder a heavier responsibility."

Most recently, Tanaka was again accused of criticizing the missile plan while in talks with her Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, last week.

Key allies

The allegations are serious because the U.S. is Japan's most important ally, but military relations between the two are extremely sensitive because of a number of damaging incidents in recent months.

For good measure, Tanaka was also said to have made disparaging comments about recently elected U.S. President George W. Bush when she met with Downer in Tokyo.

According to some reports, Tanaka said Bush's policies were influenced by the oil industry in Texas and the problem would have been avoided if former Vice President Al Gore had beaten Bush to the presidency.

Bush is a former governor of Texas and one-time oil entrepreneur.

Subsequent press reports say Downer then took the comments to Japan's former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, saying he was concerned by Tanaka's anti-U.S. sentiments.

Downer has vehemently denied the reports, issuing a statement saying he "deeply regrets" the distortion and misrepresentation in media reports.

"Both Australia and Japan's positions of understanding the United States' rationale for a missile defense system are well known," Downer said.

Beyond the international sheen, the story is pure domestic infighting, Japan-style.

Rampant infighting

Tanaka, who has denied all the allegations against her, is daughter of legendary Japanese politician and LDP founder Kakuei Tanaka.

Koizumi bolstered his own soaring popularity by naming her to his cabinet.

Downer says he never revealed details of a private meeting with Tanaka

Tanaka's supporters have painted her as a victim of a conspiracy among the LDP to have her removed from office. They say her detractors have never accepted her unconventional style and promise to shake up the party's political elite.

Analysts also believe at the heart of the feud is a personal battle Tanaka is waging against the LDP's biggest faction.

The faction was founded by her father but was subsequently taken over by former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita and is now ruled by the LDP's old guard of lawmakers.

The faction has sought to control Japan's external diplomacy. The crossfire of accusations has achieved little more than giving Koizumi a major political headache. Some analysts say that it is because of this that he must stand by Tanaka.

The new prime minister, still basking in the glow of enormous popularity, has told the quarrelers to hold their tongues and get back to the more pressing issue of Japan's foreign affairs.

One important date on their agenda will be Koizumi's meeting with Bush on June 30, when he said he would discuss Japan-U.S. relations directly with the U.S. president.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.