I am mystified why on earth the April 2 article "Kan names quake (Great Eastern Japan Earthquake) at pep talk" is followed by a Kyodo short to the effect that the senior U.S. State Department in charge of East Asia has voiced high praise for the way Japan is coping. It's as if some external examiner was passing judgment on a student, or as if a figure of authority was giving validation to the efforts of an amateur.
Above all, it makes Japan look like a neocolonial vassal of the United States that needs approval for its actions. Why not have a comment from a Japanese politician, or a nuclear expert, or a seasoned disaster specialist? Anything but this poodle-like suggestion of subservience.
john dougill
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