ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the basic question of how Japan will respond to the pressures for it to take on greater responsibilities for its own and regional security. It begins with the assumption that the global system is undergoing significant structural change and focuses on specifically on the challenge from the Pacific. The chapter reviews Japan's place in the postwar order and Tokyo's emerging role must be understood in the context of three critical factors: the ongoing importance of its relationship with Washington, the increasing salience of its regional responsibilities, and the emergence of a strong and vocal nationalist opposition at home. It describes an assessment of the primary sources of conflict in Japanese-American relations, and argues that expectations and perceptions on both sides of the Pacific have generated a level of animosity. The chapter concludes with identify some of the more important issues surrounding Japan's possible role in the mooted new world order.
