ABSTRACT
Security relations between the United States and Japan pivot on the security treaty. The dilemma in defense relations is being fed by domestic considerations in Japan, which continue to reflect public apprehension over military spending and resurgent militarism; budget problems in the United States, which, along with a relaxation of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, are causing adjustments in US military priorities; and an international security order in Asia on the cutting edge of change. The United States and Japan have different statuses internationally. The United States is a global power with global interests. Article 9 states categorically that the Japanese people “forever renounce war as a sovereign right” as well as the “threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes.” The constitution, and Article 9 in particular, continue to have the unqualified support of a preponderance of the Japanese people.
