ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the US-Japanese link, with emphasis on security relations, in order to evaluate Japan’s potential for remilitarization. After the end of world war two, Japan’s peace and stability allowed economic reconstruction and growing prosperity. This peace contrasted with the conflicts in the region - civil war in China, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war. The US linkage has been vital in the postwar Japanese state. As the USSR increased its military presence in the northern territories and Vietnam, Japan’s vulnerability was underscored. American strategy placed priority on defense of Western Europe, and the Middle East was becoming a troublesome region for vital US oil supplies. With Soviet threats to Japan, the Japanese left has lost some support for its opposition to defense preparations. During the 1978-80 period, major changes occurred which may call for a redefinition of the US-Japan relationship.
