Intro The US Japan relationship since the end of World War II has been intimate and complex The formal structure supporting the relationship has been the US Japan security alliance however the bilateral relationship encompasses no only the military alliance but also close and complex economic and political ties Since the US is a military and political superpower with both military and economic advantages over Japan the asymmetry between the two nations caused the abnormal status of the US Japan relations and as a result it is recognized as a one sided relation The world changed a lot since the late 20th century During the Cold War era the former Soviet Union had been the main threat to Japan's security After the collapse of the USSR instead other potential danger spots in Southeast Asia events on the Korean peninsula and even China Japan s largest neighboring country A series of provocation by North Korea and increasingly aggressive maritime operations by China since 2010 appeared to have set the relationship back on course Also changing policies due to unstable leadership eg The election of Trump also slowed some bilateral security initiatives In my opinion both the United States and Japan face constraints on their ability to enhance the alliance and they will need new strategies in finding a new guiding rationale in shaping the environment for China's rise Goals The United States has struggled for a century to define and redefine its strategic relationship with China and Japan From the beginning of the twentieth century until the latter part of the Cold War in the 1970s the United States never simultaneously had good relations with China and Japan As the 21st century begins the US again faces strategic choices in Asia Now China is the rising power therefore the U S Japan alliance remains as strong as ever indeed perhaps even stronger Russia cannot be counted out but it is now a weakened regional player despite its continuing arms sales to North Korea and China
