Japan-Russia Territorial Negotiations and the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty
January 17, 2019Author: James D.J. Brown
Categories: Sasakawa USA Forum
Sasakawa USA Forum Issue No. 17
As negotiations between Japan and Russia over the status of the disputed Southern Kuril Islands have accelerated under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s administration, Moscow has increasingly looked to connect the issue to the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. Abe’s Russia policy may be naive and disconcerting to many in the West, yet it should be permitted to run its natural course, asserts writer James D.J. Brown.
Tags: Abe, Japan, Putin, Russia, security, Shinzo Abe, Southern Kuril Islands, us-japan relations
Japan’s Proactive Russia Policy
August 8, 2017Author: James D.J. Brown
Categories: Sasakawa USA Forum
Sasakawa USA Forum Issue No. 7
Faced with threats posed by North Korea and China, and uncertain about the endurance of the U.S. commitment to the region, Japanese strategists see the logic of cultivating closer ties with Russia and thereby neutralizing the emergence of a hostile Sino-Russian bloc. Japan’s contemporary Russia policy is an initial sign of how a more proactive Japan may increasingly adopt policies that run counter to U.S. interests.
Tags: China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, sanctions, u.s.-japan relations
The Abe-Putin Summit and the future of Russo-Japan relations
February 27, 2017Date: February 27, 2017
As part of efforts to engage the Washington policymaker community, on February 27 Sasakawa USA hosted a private luncheon with Dr. Akihiro Iwashita, who spoke in-depth about last year’s Abe-Putin Summit in Yamaguchi and its results, and the future of the Russo-Japan relationship.
Tags: Akihiro Iwashita, Asia Pacific, asian security, Japan, Onsen summit, Russia, Russo-Japan relations, Sasakawa USA, security, speaker series
The Persistent Power of 1 Percent
September 22, 2016Author: John C. Wright
Categories: Sasakawa USA Forum
Sasakawa USA Forum Issue No. 4
Among the choices that have complicated Japanese defense, one of the most consequential has been Japan’s self-imposed limit on national defense spending. Issued in 1976 and abolished in 1987, the impact of Japan’s decision to limit military spending to 1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) is still felt today. By examining Japan’s decision to impose a 1 percent limit on its own military spending, we can better understand current Asia-Pacific regional defense arrangements.
Tags: 1 percent, Asia, budget, cold war, Defense, defense budget, defense capability, defense spending, east Asia, Economy, GDP, influence, Japan, john c. wright, military, military spending, regional defense, regional security, Russia, sasakawa usa forum, SDF, security, self-defense forces, spending cap, spending limits, weapons, weapons acquisition
Next Steps for U.S.-Japan Security Cooperation
June 8, 2016Author: Rachel Hoff
Categories: Sasakawa USA Forum
Sasakawa USA Forum Issue No. 3
In recent years, the United States and Japan have taken significant steps toward a stronger security alliance. While recent efforts to remove some of the legal and structural obstacles that have prohibited Japan from playing a larger role in the alliance have set the stage for a new era of U.S.-Japan defense cooperation, serious challenges remain to implement and operationalize the new reforms and mechanisms.
Tags: alliance, Asia Pacific, China, Defense, defense cooperation, North Korea, rachel hoff, research, Russia, sasakawa usa forum, security, security alliance, security cooperation, us-japan alliance