ABSTRACT
This chapter explores Japan's post-war security system as a backbone of Japan's polity and pacifism, with the Japan–US security alliance at the core of a changing global and regional security environment. Even after the Cold War, the Japan–US security system has persisted with minimal gestures of political effort, such as the redefinition of the Japan–US alliance or the reconfirmation of the security alliance between the two countries. The presence of US bases and troops in Japan continues to pose serious questions about the alliance, especially in connection with Okinawa. The chapter explores how the Japanese public reacted to the Japan–US alliance at large and the revision of the Japan–US Security Treaty in the 1960s in particular. It elaborates on the meaning of the Anpo demonstrations in the wake of Japan's post-World War II nation building. The chapter helps to understand how the Japanese viewed the Japan–US alliance or Security Treaty at certain points of the history.
