ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the historical developments in US-Japan relations, and to understand what that relationship entails in the post-Cold War system. It looks at the historical background of the US-Japanese security alliance after 1945 and explores the compromised sovereignty of Japan vis-à-vis the United States. The chapter explores the debate over the so-called Japanese economic rise and the problems that evolved from that rise. It examines why, in resolving the problem, Japan has been left in a state of restructuring. The chapter explains why Japan was never a systemic challenger to US hegemony. It explains why the US strategy of 'engagement and enlargement', also known as hegemonic globalisation, has had such effects on Japanese society and East Asia. The chapter analyses the extent of the changing security regime in the post-Cold War system. It discusses the challenges and opportunities of the US-Japan security relations.
