Reports
U.S.-Japan Nuclear Cooperation: The Significance of July 2018
Author: Phyllis Genther Yoshida, PhD
In July 2018, the U.S.-Japan Agreement for Cooperation Between the Government of Japan and the Government of the United States on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy will extend automatically. Its extension means Japan can receive U.S.-origin special nuclear material, retain advance consent for reprocessing, and is bound by the non-proliferation criteria and practices set out in the agreement. Such agreements are known as “Section 123” Agreements.
Testing Trilateral, U.S.-Japan, and U.S.-ROK Responses to North Korean Provocations: Tabletop Exercise Pacific Trident
Author: Admiral Michael McDevitt and Yoichi Kato
Categories: Tabletop Exercise
Tabletop Exercise Pacific Trident explored trilateral, U.S.-Japan, and U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) responses to unexpected events and deliberate North Korean provocations. This report summarizes the exercise, its policy-level insights, and its final recommendations to policymakers in the United States, ROK, and Japan.
Tags: DPRK, North Korea, Pacific Trident, Tabletop Exercise, trilateral relations, TTX, U.S.-Asia, U.S.-Japan, U.S.-Japan-ROK, U.S.-ROK
Books
U.S.-Japan Approaches to Democracy Promotion
Author: Daniel Bob, Michael Auslin, Larry Diamond, David J. Kramer, Yasunobu Sato, Tsuneo Akaha, David I. Steinberg, Aung Din, Richard C. Kraemer, Mitsugi Endo
March 24, 2017
Cooperation to support democratic development should be an important component of the U.S.-Japan Alliance, and this volume is intended both to endorse it and to propose practical measures for both countries to take.
Tags: democracy, Democracy Support, democratic transition, foreign policy, us-japan cooperation
Japan-Russia Relations: Implications for the U.S.-Japan Alliance
Author: Dennis Blair, Daniel Bob, Gilbert Rozman, Alexander Nikolaevich Panov, Kazuhiko Togo, Tomohiko Taniguchi, Dmitry Streltsov, Yasuhiro Izumikawa, Georgy Toloraya, Vasili Kashin, Frank Jannuzi, Hirofumi Arai, Alexander Gabuev
May 6, 2016
This volume brings together analyses from leading economic and security experts who describe an underdeveloped Japan-Russia economic relationship, a series of ingenious but unsuccessful diplomatic and cartographic attempts to divide the Northern Territories in a way that both countries could claim as a win, and very subtle signaling by Russia and Japan that their concerns about China may present a margin for better relations with one another.
Tags: admiral dennis blair, Alexander Gabuev, book, China, Crimea, daniel bob, Dmitry Streltsov, Frank Jannuzi, Georgy Toloraya, gilbert rozman, Hirofumi Arai, Japan, japan-russia, kazuhiko togo, northern territories, publication, Russia, russia-japan, Shinzo Abe, tomohiko taniguchi, Trans-Pacific Partnership, trilateral, us-japan alliance, us-japan relations, us-japan-russia, Vasili Kashin, Vladimir Putin, Yasuhiro Izumikawa
Commentary & Analysis
Sister Cities: Seedbed for the Grassroots of U.S.-Japan Relations
Author: Grace Ruch Clegg, Former Projects and Outreach Coordinator, East-West Center in Washington
Categories: Sasakawa USA Alumni
Grace Ruch Clegg, former Projects and Outreach Coordinator at the East-West Center in Washington, participated in the Sasakawa USA 2017-2018 In-Depth Alumni Research Trip to Japan. Here, Ruch Clegg shares her findings on the legacy, benefits, challenges, and outlook for sister city relationships between the United States and Japan.
Tags: Japan, Sister Cities, Sister city, us-japan alliance, us-japan relations
Abe avoids the FTA trap at Mar-a-Lago, but U.S. pressure on Japan likely to mount
Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Sasakawa USA Blog
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump on April 18 and 19 were unusually unpredictable for a summit between the leaders of the longtime allies, which are usually carefully choreographed with little left to chance. Much of the uncertainty was due to the Trump administration’s determination to reduce its bilateral trade deficits with major trading partners.
Tags: Abe, Abenomics, Economy, Japan, Trans-Pacific Partnership, us-japan alliance, us-japan relations
Issue Briefs
Japan’s Demographic Challenge
Underlying Japan’s long-term economic struggles is profound demographic change. With a combination of low birthrates and the world’s longest life expectancy, Japan’s population is rapidly greying and shrinking. This demographic revolution has already had significant effects on macroeconomic conditions and consumption patterns as well as the health of the social safety net. It has dramatically affected communities outside of Japan’s major cities, because rural areas have aged faster than the country as a whole, threatening their future viability. It may also be forcing Japan to update its immigration and family policies to limit the impact of demographic change.
Tags: birth rate, declining workforce, demographics, issue briefs, Japan, population, population decline
Collective Self-Defense
The right of “collective self-defense” was enshrined in Article 51 of the 1945 United Nations Charter. It refers to the right of all UN countries to use military force to defend other member nations from attack. It has provided the basis for all UN-authorized military operations, from the Korean War onwards.
Tags: article 9, China, Collective Self-Defense, Defense, defense guidelines, issue briefs, Japan, LDP, Shinzo Abe, South Korea, us-japan relationship