Clinton Hails Role of U.S. Troops in Asia

President Clinton on Wednesday offered a justification for the large U.S. military presence in the Pacific in an address to thousands of whooping, flag-waving service men and women aboard the aircraft carrier Independence moored in Tokyo Bay.

Citing the role of the carrier during the 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 largely at Americans 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 South 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 and Grenada and in the Persian Gulf--and, in March, off the coast of Taiwan, when Beijing fired missiles to intimidate the island during its election campaign.

In the next berth in Yokosuka harbor south of Tokyo was the Japanese cruiser Myoko, whose proximity symbolized the reinvigorated security partnership between the United States and Japan.

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.”

He said the United States will remain engaged here as long as the people of the region want it to be.

Hashimoto confirmed his nation’s desire for the Americans to remain. About 47,000 U.S. troops are based in Japan, which pays more than $5 billion a year for their upkeep.

“The presence of the U.S. forces in this part of the world is welcome,” said Hashimoto, the candid and tough-minded former top trade negotiator. “We welcome their presence, and we believe that it is serving the stability of Asia and the Pacific. And that is of the foremost importance.”

Winston Lord, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said that in speaking aboard the Independence, Clinton was addressing three audiences: America, Japan and the other nations of the Asia-Pacific region, both friends and rivals.

He said China’s attempted intimidation of Taiwan and North Korea’s recent threatening moves in the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas underscored the need for a strong U.S. military posture in the region.

“Those tensions plus the DMZ problems in Korea . . . and other elements have reminded this region and reminded us of our security interests and our stabilizing presence,” Lord told reporters after the president’s speech.

He noted that Clinton will address the Japanese Parliament today, speaking directly to the Japanese people through their representatives about the partnership fostered in the 50 years since World War II ended. Lord said Clinton will also look forward “to the next 50 years as the two largest economies and two strong democracies . . . have the opportunity to forge an alliance for the 21st century for our two people, for the region and for the world.”

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 that trade relations between the two nations were “on the right track,” but U.S. officials said that little progress was made on lingering disputes over aviation, photographic film, insurance and semiconductors.

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.

She said the two leaders agreed to continue working on the disputed items at a lower level, but neither held out much hope of a quick resolution to the outstanding issues.

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.

“History offers very few examples of two peoples who have forged such a powerful relationship in the short period of half a century; we have indeed traveled far together,” the president said. “We have created in modern times a great democratic tradition.”