ABSTRACT
Elections held in the United States and Japan last fall kept both countries' top leaders in office. U.S. President Bill Clinton began his second term in January, after being reelected in last November's poli. In Japan's October general election, the Liberal Democratic Party, headed by Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryūtarō, substantially bolstered its strength in the Diet, and while failing to capture an outright majority, managed to retain its place at the helm by soliciting the cooperation of the Social Democratic Party and New Party Sakigake (Harbinger), its former coalition partners. Hidden behind this continuity in leadership, however, are dramatic changes in the Japan-U.S. relationship.
