U.S.-Japan Commission on the Future of the Alliance

The Asia Pacific region is the center of dynamism in the international system, and events there are defining the security and prosperity of the world. Increased economic interdependence and a budding institutional architecture create a solid foundation for a vibrant and stable future, but the region also faces an array of challenges that could destabilize the security environment. For over six decades the U.S.-Japan alliance has been the cornerstone of security and stability in the Asia Pacific, and it should continue to play an important role in shaping the regional order.

The U.S. and Japanese governments are taking important steps to strengthen the alliance and ensure that it remains a lynchpin in maintaining regional stability and prosperity. In 2013, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) established the U.S.-Japan Commission on the Future of the Alliance, a bilateral commission of distinguished policymakers and scholars, to develop a strategic vision for the alliance. The Commission met numerous times over the course of three years to discuss a range of issues animating the bilateral relationship.

On February 29, 2016, the Commission released its final report, The U.S.-Japan Alliance to 2030: Power and Principle, which proposes a shared vision for Asia and the U.S.-Japan Alliance through 2030.

Commissioners

U.S. Commissioners

Richard Armitage, President, Armitage International L.C.; CSIS Trustee (Co-Chair)

Dennis C. Blair, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA

Aaron Friedberg, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University

Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, CSIS; Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy, Georgetown University

John Hamre, President, CEO, and Pritzker Chair, CSIS (Co-Chair)

Joseph Nye Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; CSIS Trustee

Japanese Commissioners

Jiro Hanyu, Chairman, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Ryozo Kato, former Ambassador of Japan to the United States (Co-Chair)

Masashi Nishihara, President, Research Institute for Peace and Security

Yukio Okamoto, President, Okamoto Associates

Ryouichi Oriki, former Chief of Staff, Joint Staff

Koji Tanami, former Administrative Vice Minister, Ministry of Finance; former President, Japan Bank for International Cooperation

Noboru Yamaguchi, Professor, International University of Japan Research Institute; Advisor, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Publications

• The U.S.-Japan Alliance to 2030: Power and Principle (English) （日本語）February 29, 2016
• Southeast Asia’s Geopolitical Centrality and the U.S.-Japan Alliance, Ernest Z. Bower et al., June 2015
• U.S.-Japan Commission on the Future of the Alliance Interim Report, July 14, 2014
• Japan’s Democracy Diplomacy, Daniel M. Kliman, Daniel Twining, July 2014
• Decoding China’s Emerging “Great Power” Strategy in Asia, Christopher K. Johnson, May 5, 2014
• Final Report: Research on PLA Modernization, Project 2049 Institute, March 2014
• Japan-U.S. Energy Security (日本語), March 2014
• The Future Economic Growth of China and Security in EastAsia (English) (日本語), June 24, 2013
• Maritime Expansion by China as it Pursues Changes in Order (English) (日本語), Masafumi Iida, June 2013
• U.S.-Japan Commission on the Future of the Alliance Charter, June 24, 2013

Events

U.S.-Japan Commission on the Future of the Alliance Second Meeting
January 13, 2014
Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, Sasakawa Peace Foundation of Japan, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies held a second meeting of the Commissioners to discuss the future of the U.S.-Japan Alliance.

U.S.-Japan Commission on the Future of the Alliance First Meeting
June 24, 2013
During their first meeting, the Commission met for one and one-half days of discussion at the Hotel Okura in Tokyo. The American Commissioners also visited Prime Minister Abe to provide him with an overview of the discussions and a copy of the Charter.

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