By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel

The empty ballot boxes have not been stored, and already people fret about a change in US-Japan relations. I believe our relations will strengthen not fade.

Immediately we read about a weakening in US-Japan military relations. For those writing with pessimism, the reality of the many aspects of our relationship with Japan points to an ever expanding strength and goodness. Rhetoric aside, we collaborate with Japan’s Self Defense Forces (JSDF) on many levels and on a close daily basis. While the military relationship is important, I believe that our cultural and economic ties will strengthen as we continue to exchange people and talents.

In Japan, business overshadows politics based upon my personal experience. Politicians there follow the leads of the company giants. The military is a very subtle but intelligent voice of reason, rarely seen in print here. But their military is very well educated and politically aware. This is a country that appreciates deeply the value of history. And our mutual histories are braided. I can still remember hearing Mike Mansfield say in meetings, while he was our ambassador to Japan, refer to Japan as ”… the most important bilateral relationship in the world, bar none”.

From an artistic aspect alone, Japan does not seem to me to be on a course of turning inward. Based upon Japan’s reputaton for exciting domestic politics, I believe the story to watch is the LDP…let’s watch them climb into the boat, take the helm, and sail for a while. And watch for their policy on relations with the two Koreas. Listen to their overtures to China. Japan rarely makes ink in our newspaper but that’s because we both enjoy a boring round of golf where we just play well together and hit it in the fairway, near the cartpath.