U.S.-Japan Relations: Progress Toward a Mature Partnership
Abstract
In early 2000, a bipartisan group of former government officials, foreign policy and national security analysts, and scholars, concerned with a post-Cold War drift and loss of focus within the U.S.-Japan alliance, met under the auspices of the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) to chart a course for the U.S.-Japan relationship in the new century. On October 11, 2000, INSS published "The United States and Japan: Advancing Toward a Mature Partnership." This study was prepared by INSS Senior Research Fellow, James Przystup, one of the organizers of the 2000 study group. This study assesses the steps taken by the governments of the United States and Japan to implement the recommendations of the October 2000 report and to chart a course for future action. Released 11 months before September 11, 2001, the report did not anticipate the profound transformation of the international security environment that followed the events of that tragic day. The U.S.-Japan alliance, however, has responded remarkably to the unprecedented challenges posed in the post-9/11 security environment. The cumulative effect of the policy decisions and attendant actions has been to transform the alliance into an instrument that enhances stability and security across the globe, thus supporting the national interests of both the American and Japanese people. At the same time, the security challenges touched on in the initial report have not disappeared. The Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait remain areas in which conflict affecting the vital national interests of the United States and Japan could arise at a moment's notice. North Korea's clandestine pursuit of nuclear weapons stands as a challenge to stability and security in NE Asia, and the threat of the proliferation of WMD from a cash-strapped North Korea to rogue states or terrorists cannot be discounted. Close coordination of U.S. and Japanese national policies is essential to maintaining security and prosperity in East Asi7
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA437812
Entities
People
- James J. Przystup
Organizations
- National Defense University