Instead, his successor, Naoto Kan, continues to believe that Japan can somehow opt out of history and a turbulent region. Speaking at the United Nations plenary meeting this September, Kan said that his government seeks to achieve a “society in which human suffering is reduced a minimum.”
这一切导致鸠山最终于今年早些时候下台，但外交现实主义却未能回归日本政坛，恰恰相反，鸠山的继任者菅直人依然相信日本能够脱离过去的历史和所处地域行事。在今年9月联合国大会上的发言中，菅直人宣称他的政府正寻求实现一个“尽可能减少民众苦难的社会”。而国防问题则被晾在了一边。