What led two mortal enemies to become allies nine years after the end of World War II? When the Allies began their occupation of defeated Axis countries, many people favored a program of harsh reparation and demilitarization. For the United States, this was tempered with a desire not only to prevent such a war from happening again but to help the occupied countries rebuild their economic and political infrastructure. This aspiration, coupled with the rise of communist China and its perceived threat not only to Southeast Asia but the world, formed the catalyst for a U.S.-Japanese alliance. The alliance between the United States and Japan persists in spite of changing political world views. The changes which have affected world politics have often resulted in corresponding adjustments to the U.S.-Japan security agreement. From 1954 to the present day, this volume takes an in-depth look at the fundamental nature of the relationship. The book addresses the historical origins of security relations in both countries and the ways in which these formed the basis for their postwar security cooperation and examines the negotiated set of shared military, economic and political agreements and expectations which have shaped their relationship. The work's main focus, however, is the way in which this alliance has evolved. Four cases of significant policy change--in 1960, 1981, 1987 and 1997--are analyzed along with a discussion of the relevant strategic and tactical realities of the time. The reactions of the United States and Japan to recent events such as Iraq's Kuwait invasion and the 2001 terrorist attacks on America are also discussed. Numerous tables are included.

The U.S.-Japan Alliance: Past, Present, and Future explains the inner workings of the U.S.-Japan alliance and recommends new approaches to sustaining this critical bilateral security relationship.

In spring of 1960, Japan’s government passed Anpo, a revision of the postwar treaty that allows the United States to maintain a military presence in Japan. This move triggered the largest popular backlash in the nation’s modern history. These protests, Nick Kapur argues in Japan at the Crossroads, changed the evolution of Japan’s politics and culture, along with its global role. The yearlong protests of 1960 reached a climax in June, when thousands of activists stormed Japan’s National Legislature, precipitating a battle with police and yakuza thugs. Hundreds were injured and a young woman was killed. With the nation’s cohesion at stake, the Japanese government acted quickly to quell tensions and limit the recurrence of violent demonstrations. A visit by President Eisenhower was canceled and the Japanese prime minister resigned. But the rupture had long-lasting consequences that went far beyond politics and diplomacy. Kapur traces the currents of reaction and revolution that propelled Japanese democracy, labor relations, social movements, the arts, and literature in complex, often contradictory directions. His analysis helps resolve Japan’s essential paradox as a nation that is both innovative and regressive, flexible and resistant, wildly imaginative yet simultaneously wedded to tradition. As Kapur makes clear, the rest of the world cannot understand contemporary Japan and the distinct impression it has made on global politics, economics, and culture without appreciating the critical role of the “revolutionless” revolution of 1960—turbulent events that released long-buried liberal tensions while bolstering Japan’s conservative status quo.

This volume reviews the past fifty years of the U.S.-Japan relationship and speculates about how it will evolve in the years to come.

Japan is a mix of the old and the new, traditional and modern, and old fashion and innovative. It has traveled the road to a modern destination without totally losing sight of its traditions and values. Although some in Japan lament the passing of old ways, Japan has held on to a reasonable amount of its traditions and values. This is easier to find in its arts and crafts and its literature and films as well as in its social habits. This book will introduce the broad sweep of people, events, and trends, including the successes and failures, of postwar Japan. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Postwar Japan contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Japan.

The eighth volume in NBR’s Strategic Asia series assesses the major strategic choices on Asia facing the new U.S. president and administration as well as the broader policy community. Through a combination of country, regional, and topical studies, the book analyzes the impact of U.S. policy and geopolitical developments on Asia’s transformation over the past eight years.