How to Safeguard Japan In the Years Ahead: National Security and the Japan-US Alliance

Japan faces a security environment that is undergoing major changes due to such factors as the emergence of China and the recent leadership change in North Korea. This raises the question of how Japan can cope with the growing diversity of risks. This series examines the tasks confronting Japan and explores its recent defense policies, with a focus on the Japan-US alliance.

Japan’s Defense Policy and the Future of the Japan-US AllianceTakahashi Sugio

With the world in the midst of profound change, Japan’s security is also changing. Takahashi Sugio of the National Institute for Defense Studies examines new defense policy focusing on the Dynamic Defense Force concept and the future of the Japan-US alliance.
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The Future of Sino-Japanese Competition at SeaMichishita Narushige

China’s maritime presence has been increasing markedly, and this has a strong bearing on Japan’s defense strategy. Michishita Narushige, a specialist in international strategy studies, considers Japan’s response and related issues.
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The Okinawa “Base Problem” TodayRobert D. Eldridge

Remarkably little progress has been made over the years to overcome the “Okinawa problem”—a catch-all label for the host of unresolved issues between the prefecture and the Japanese and US governments. The US military bases in Okinawa, in particular, have been at the heart of the controversy. Robert Eldridge, who has long researched this issue, argues that the key to solving this knotty problem is for all sides to approach it in an objective, unemotional manner.
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The Deepening of the Japan-US AllianceKitaoka Shin’ichi

The Japan-US alliance faces a number of knotty problems, exacerbated by initial bungling after Japan’s 2009 change of ruling parties. But the Japanese have been reawakened to the challenge posed by China’s fast-growing military might, and the United States has recommitted itself to involvement in East Asian security affairs.
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