The question of the U.S. military relationship with Japan and the related one of Japan's general defense posture are very sensitive issues for China, Russia and the Koreas, as well as for the United States and Japan.

Japanese elections in August produced a stark change in government, from the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, in power almost continuously since 1955, to the Democratic Party of Japan, led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who represented Japan at the G-20 summit. The new government has indicated a desire to modify the U.S.-Japanese defense relationship, more or less unchanged for decades, with an eye toward reducing the U.S. role.

The relationship includes 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan; U.S. bases, including on Okinawa, a sensitive point because of accidents, crime, pollution and noise; and Japan's role in refueling forces for the war in Afghanistan.

The first question is why Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, as opposed to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is negotiating with the Japanese, given the political and regional nature of the issues under consideration. Mr. Gates may be well placed to discuss military concerns with the Japanese, but not necessarily the overall regional political framework.

The second question is why the United States is not prepared to respond favorably to the wishes of the newly elected government, which wanted to move the U.S. base off Okinawa. There are other sites in the Pacific for U.S. troops and installations, including Guam and Hawaii. Why, then, is the Obama administration not ready to accommodate Japan in a way that respects its sovereign right to determine the level of U.S. forces on its soil? Mr. Gates has said he sees "no alternatives" to the arrangement that had been negotiated with Japan's previous government.

Whatever the answers to those questions, it would seem more appropriate in any case that they be provided by the secretary of state, or jointly by the secretary of state and secretary of defense, not Mr. Gates alone.

Cartoonist Rob Rogers does "Rob's Rough," an early look at his work and his creative process, exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.