Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XXII, Northeast Asia

385. Memorandum of Conversation⁰

Washington, November 25, 1963.

SUBJECT

• United States-Japan Relations

PARTICIPANTS

• Japanese side
  • Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda
  • Foreign Minister Masayoshi Ohira
  • Ambassador Ryuji Takeuchi
  • Genichi Akatani, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Interpreter)
• United States side
  • President Johnson
  • Secretary Rusk
  • Richard W. Petree, International Relations Officer (EA/J)
  • James Wickel, LS, (Interpreter)

President Johnson extended warm congratulations to Prime Minister Ikeda for the recent election victory of his party in Japan and went on to ask if the Prime Minister could give him a secret formula for electoral success. The President said he would be able to use such a formula in next year’s elections. The Prime Minister responded that he believes his party’s success owes to a tip he received from President Johnson during the Prime Minister’s visit to the United States two and a half years ago. President Johnson at that time had emphasized the great assistance he received from Mrs. Johnson in political campaigns, that in fact most American politicians received invaluable help from their wives. Prime Minister Ikeda said he went home and immediately put his own wife to work and instructed his cabinet officers to do the same. The recent election victory reflected the valuable help of these wives.

President Johnson expressed deep regret that the tragedy¹ had at the last moment forced postponement of the Third Meeting of the United States-Japan Joint Economic Committee.² The meeting has economic significance for us, but it also has great political significance, with the presidential election to be held in November 1964. He said we need the meeting now more than ever. He assured Prime Minister Ikeda that it is the intent of the United States to arrange for the mission to return to Japan, possibly early next year, and when the mission does go we hope Japan will remember our problem.

Prime Minister Ikeda expressed sympathy for and understanding of the reasons for the postponement. He said Japan wishes to continue in its relationship with the United States as before, emphasized complete cooperation in United States-Japan relations, in both economics and diplomacy.

President Johnson expressed thanks and said that despite this tragedy the bonds of friendship between Japan and the United States will not be weakened, but rather will be strengthened. He then spoke of the United States hope that relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea can be normalized as soon as possible³ after elections in both Japan and Korea are finished. Prime Minister Ikeda said he feels that it is doubtful that under the present circumstances the party of Acting President Park of the Republic of Korea can win a majority of the seats of the National Assembly in this week’s general election in Korea. He points out, however, that if Park worked out a coalition of conservative and moderate elements more or less aligned with his objectives he would have a workable majority in the National Assembly and have a good chance to stabilize the situation in the Republic of Korea. Japan would hope that Park will seek this course of action following the elections. The Prime Minister said that if Park is able to stabilize the political situation along these lines, Japan would hope to move toward complete normalization of relations as quickly as possible.

Prime Minister Ikeda went on to remark that the Republic of Korea is a nation of 25 million well-educated and hardworking people. A healthy development of the Republic of Korea is, in the Prime Minister’s opinion, essential for the security of Japan. Japan and the Free World cannot afford to sit back and allow the Republic of Korea to degenerate into Communism. Therefore, Japan believes it must do everything possible to achieve normalization of relations with the Republic of Korea.

President Johnson said that since World War II the United States has spent over $100 billion dollars to help other nations to stand on their own feet and regain their productivity. Now, however, the Administration is facing increasing problems in Congress, not because of any lack of prosperity in the United States, but because Congressmen feel strongly that others must now assume a larger share of the burden than they have. Congress has made severe and radical reductions in the appropriations for overseas aid programs. We therefore look forward especially to a fruitful exchange between our Cabinet officers and the Ministers of Japan, for Japan is one of the major industrial nations of the world. We hope that we can work together to influence and to assist the less fortunate nations in the world.

The President said the fate of the aid bill in Congress represents a very serious problem. He said the Administration wants to tell Congress that the United States will have the help of other nations in carrying the load of overseas assistance programs, in the hope that Congress will provide a stronger aid bill than it so far has appeared willing. The President told Prime Minister Ikeda that we hope we can receive help from Japan in this problem.

Prime Minister Ikeda responded that the general direction of United States policy in this field (i.e. reducing its share of the worldwide burden) appears to him unavoidable. For this reason Japan both understood and acceded readily in the severe reduction in Military Assistance Program expenditures in Japan. The Prime Minister expressed the belief that rather than large-scale dollar aid, we should concentrate together on broader economic assistance to underdeveloped areas such as Southeast Asia. He said he agrees with present United States policy trends.

Secretary Rusk noted to the President that Japan under Prime Minister Ikeda has made remarkable progress in claiming its rightful place among nations, particularly in such areas as the United Nations, the OECD community, and Southeast Asia. He said the United States values its close partnership with Japan because Japan has great power and can make a great contribution in these areas.

Prime Minister Ikeda said he personally believed much of this success owes to the help of the United States. He said the direction of emphasis of Japanese policy originated in the urging of former President Kennedy on the occasion of the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington two and a half years ago. When Japan first surveyed its chances of admission into the OECD it looked like an impossible challenge. Great Britain in particular appeared to Japan to pose considerable resistance to the entry of Japan into the community. Prime Minister Ikeda visited England, France, Germany and Benelux last year, however, and as he held talks in the various capitals he sensed an improved climate, which he credited to the help of the United States, which obviously paved the way for achievement of greater success than Japan had hoped for. He again termed Japan’s progress in Europe a result of work of the United States.

The Prime Minister went on to state he firmly believes that the frankest United States-Japan consultation is essential, particularly concerning Southeast Asia,⁴ where there are problems in Burma and Malaysia and elsewhere requiring such close collaboration. He felt such close consultation is the best form of diplomacy in United States-Japan relations.

The President said it was impossible to hold detailed talks at this time, but the United States intends to follow just that kind of policy in the future. He said we hope for close consultations, frank and above-board, recognizing our great mutuality of interests.

In closing the meeting, Prime Minister Ikeda expressed the sincere honor he felt at being received by the President when President Johnson is so tired and pressed for time. The Prime Minister said that as a politician and statesman he had learned a great deal through his participation in the ceremonies surrounding President Kennedy’s funeral. He said he had learned more of the political attitude of President Kennedy. He said he intended to take these thoughts home with him, to review his own outlook and performance, and to try to apply the Kennedy spirit in a renewal of relations between Japan and the United States.

President Johnson thanked the Prime Minister for meeting with him and assured him of the continued friendship and cooperation of the United States.

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL JAPAN-US. Confidential. Drafted by Petree on November 26 and approved in S on November 26 and by the White House on December 2.
1. Reference is to President Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas, on November 22. Documentation in Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Japan, for 1963 indicates that the White House considered several proposals for a Presidential visit to Japan in the months prior to the President’s death. On November 19 Kennedy discussed with Hilsman and Howard Jones, Ambassador to Indonesia, a possible visit in April or May 1964 to several Asian countries including Japan, of which the centerpiece was to be a trip to Indonesia, should the United States succeed in efforts to improve Indonesian-Malaysian relations. (Memorandum of conversation by Jones; Department of State, FE Files: Lot 65 D 6, POL 7, Visits and Meetings, Oct-Dec 1963)
2. his meeting, originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo November 25-27, was postponed to January 27-28.
3. Documentation on U.S. interest in improved relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea is in the Korea compilation. Rusk and Ikeda discussed this topic on November 26; see footnote 4, Document 318.
4. On November 26 Rusk discussed with Ikeda a possible Japanese role in easing the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia. (Memorandum by Ainsworth; ibid., Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 65 D 330)