The Challenges of Asymmetrical Alliance: Japan and the U.S. (Fumiako Kubo)

THE U.S.-JAPAN ALLIANCE has an asymmetrical structure in terms of the rights and obligations that each party enjoys and incurs. Since 1952, Japan has largely fulfilled treaty obligations that included allowing the United States to use military bases in Japan – an obligation that has been a burden (as well as a benefit) to some local Japanese, especially in Okinawa. Professor Kubo argues that, in turn, if the alliance does not work when needed most by Japan, it will just decay or atrophy and that the United States should emphasize its commitment in the strongest possible way at every possible occasion.

To read PDFs of suggested background papers, click on the links below:
The Dynamics of Asymmetric Alliance: The Case of the United States and Japan
Japan’s Foreign and Security Policy toward The United States: Between Pacifism and the Logic of Alliance