Japan's Pursuit of Independence in foreign Policy: a New Response to the “Alliance Dilemma”

During the process of diplomatic normalization with the PRC, the largest concern for the Tanaka cabinet was whether Chinese leaders would accept Japan's maintenance of the security relationship with the United States. Compared with this issue, the Japanese government worried little about the impact on the Soviets of Sino-Japanese normalization. In the PRC-Japan negotiations in September, 1972, the Japanese government conceded on inclusion of the term “hegemony” in the communiqué, as a quid pro quo for other concessions the PRC government had made. ¹