ABSTRACT
The Peace Treaty between Japan and China was signed nearly a third of a century after the end of hostilities. China under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping was seeking allies against the USSR, and insisted that the Japanese align themselves against “hegemony” - the code word for Soviet expansionism. The Japanese were brought into the power politics of the region very quickly. The Soviets interpreted the Treaty as evidence of a growing China-US-Japan entente against the USSR, although Tokyo denied any such significance. The credibility of US guarantees to Japan’s security has been eroded by perception of increasing Soviet military capacity in the region, American priorities in Europe and the Mideast, and the self-doubts which clouded American resolve in the post-Vietnam years. The irony of the Peace and Friendship Treaty was that it was probably a catalyst in a new stage of insecurity and hostility in the region.
