ABSTRACT
Secrecy in the U.S.–Japan alliance Based on the Neoclassical Realist analytical tools, as well as declassified U.S. and Japanese documents, this book has presented a systematic analysis of the perceptional evolution in both U.S. and Japanese strategic thinking regarding the acceptable terms surrounding the U.S. bases in post-reversion Okinawa. The two governments initiated a long-term, negotiated settlement over one of the most complex issues in International Politics, namely, a territorial issue resulting from war. For the U.S., returning the administrative rights of the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) to Japan meant giving up the control of a land obtained through wartime sacrifices. For Japan, the pursuit of reversion was essentially about regaining territory lost in war through diplomacy. Despite their respective domestic sentiments, the two governments recognized the continued need for the U.S. bases in Okinawa to ensure U.S. deterrence capabilities in East Asia. What lessons can be drawn from this case study in order to better comprehend the roles of the U.S. bases in Okinawa within the context of contemporary U.S.– Japan security relations?
