Clinton Defends U.S. Military Presence in Asia

Winding up a three-day visit to Asia, President Clinton offered Japanese and American audiences a fresh justification for the large U.S. military presence in the Pacific in addresses to the Japanese parliament today and to thousands of whooping, flag-waving service men and women aboard the aircraft carrier Independence.

In an earnest 20-minute speech to the parliament, Clinton said many in Japan and the United States believe that with the Cold War “over and won,” the two nations should “pull back from the world and pull back from each other.”

“With all respect,” Clinton said to rows of dark-suited men and women arrayed before him, “I believe those views are wrong.”

Clinton said the new world has brought new dangers that have been dramatized in both countries.

“After the sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway and the bombing in Oklahoma City, the people of Japan and the people of the United States know this all too well. No nation can isolate itself from these problems. And no nation can solve them alone,” he said.

He alluded to recent military threats between China and Taiwan and on the Korean peninsula, and called the U.S.-Japan security alliance “the cornerstone of stability throughout Asia.”

“Both our nations recognize that peace has its price. But the price is much less than the cost of putting peace at risk,” Clinton said.

He also expressed “profound” regret about the rape of an Okinawan schoolgirl by U.S. servicemen in September. But he said the “horrible” incident had forced the United States to find ways to lessen the negative impact of 47,000 troops in Japan by limiting training maneuvers and closing some installations--”something we probably should have done some time ago.”

Immediate reaction to Clinton’s speech was largely favorable--but more on style points than on content.

“When Japanese politicians speak, they look at their notes the whole time. But Clinton rarely looked at his notes. He kept his head up. He had real composure. Overall, he left a really good impression,” said Takashi Kosugi, a member of parliament from the Liberal Democratic Party.

On Wednesday afternoon, Clinton took a similar message of U.S. commitment to Asian security to the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Independence, berthed in Tokyo Bay at the U.S. naval station at Yokosuka, south of Tokyo.

Citing the role of the carrier in helping defuse recent tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Clinton told nearly 5,000 sailors, Marines and family members: “Without firing a single shot, you reassured nations all around the Pacific. With the quiet power of your example, you gave the world another example of America’s power and America’s character.”

Clinton’s shipboard speech was directed at Americans and Japanese who may doubt the utility and expense of deploying 100,000 U.S. troops in East Asia.

That U.S. military presence in the region was reconfirmed in top-level meetings with Korean and Japanese officials over the past three days and cemented in a security declaration signed by Clinton and Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in Tokyo earlier Wednesday.

The president said the security umbrella that American forces provide in East Asia helps ensure the peace and prosperity of the region and, by extension, of the United States itself.

“Without you, the stability and prosperity of Asia could be in danger and, therefore, so could America’s,” Clinton said as the Navy jack and the American flag flapped in the breeze behind him on the flight deck. “Old rivalries could break out again. A rogue state could get the wrong idea. A changing region could become unstable. But with you here, Asia is more secure, and so is America.”

As Clinton rose to speak aboard the oldest active-duty ship in the Navy, a deep male voice boomed out, “We love you Mr. President,” which brought a smile to Clinton’s face.

The 49-year-old president has not always been well received by the American military, in part because he took great pains to avoid the draft during the height of the Vietnam War. He also alienated many in the military with his early efforts to integrate gay men and lesbians into the services.

But on Wednesday, at least, the commander in chief was a welcome presence on the Independence, which since its commissioning in 1959 has launched its planes toward Vietnam, Lebanon, Grenada and in the Persian Gulf--and, in March, off the coast of Taiwan when Beijing fired test missiles to intimidate the island during its election campaign.

Earlier Wednesday, at a news conference with Hashimoto, Clinton noted that American forces were welcome in Asia because “everyone knows we have no ulterior motive. That is, we seek no advantage, we seek to dominate no country. . . . We seek to do nothing in any improper way with our military power.”

Although Clinton’s visit to Japan has focused on security issues, aides said that he and Hashimoto discussed a number of contentious trade issues during their meetings Wednesday.

Clinton declared at the news conference Wednesday that trade relations between the two nations were “on the right track,” but officials said little progress was made on lingering disputes over aviation, photographic film, insurance and semi-conductors.

Trade was “the one area where the two leaders did not see quite eye to eye,” said Sandy Kristoff, the top National Security Council staffer on Asia, who attended the Clinton-Hashimoto meetings.

The president and first lady closed their day Wednesday at a state dinner at the Imperial Palace. In a toast to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, the president expressed thanks for Japan’s hospitality and hope for continued friendship.

Today, Clinton was to visit a Chrysler dealership in Tokyo before departing for Moscow, where he is to meet with Western leaders on nuclear proliferation and hold a one-day summit with Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin.

Times staff writer Hilary E. MacGregor contributed to this report.