ABSTRACT
The end of the Cold War in late 1989 raised questions over the future of the security relationship between the United States and Japan and the direction of Japan's defense buildup. With the second-largest economy in the world and steady technological advances, Japan possesses the financial and technological ability to transform itself into a military power. Yet when the multinational effort in 1991 to drive Iraq from Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War presented Japan with a chance to contribute to international security and help establish the post–Cold War order, Japan proved indecisive and incapable of dealing with rapidly unfolding international events.
