US Repercussions On The US Relationship With Japan

Recently, policymakers and scholars argued whether the United-States should restrain its grand strategy or, in contrary, pursue a deep engagement. This paper will discuss about the repercussions on the US relationship with Japan.

Japan is one of the strongest ally of the United-States since the Security Treaty has been signed after WWII. Japan is not a nuclear power and relies on the US in case of nuclear conflict. Moreover, US and Japan have close economic relations.

Scholars and policymakers in favor of a strategy of restraint argue that it would not affect our relationship with our allies, or slightly affect it. Indeed, a strategy of restrain implies that Japan will be more independent. Therefore, Japan would have to take its own responsibility

This approach is more realistically cased. First, Japan is reinforced by the US policy of deep engagement, and would be less powerful without the US. The US has a role of “American pacifier” in East Asia, and its less likely to think that Japan will be able to held this position. Moreover, withdrawing the US-Japan security treaty could be a possible threat to prosperity in several ways. First, Japan would likely become a nuclear power and could create instability in East-Asia. But more important, Japan as a nuclear power could represent long-term risk for the United-States. Japan would potentially be able to deter the US with nuclear threats. Secondly, the current situation of deep engagement protects the US economic interests in Japan. Japan is one of the favorite US lender and the forth destination for US exportations. Moreover, a deep engagement impeaches a proliferation of competition. Japan could choose to turn its economy towards Asia and not the US anymore. Finally, Japan alone would invest much more in its military force therefore becomes a greater threat. Nonetheless, perhaps the greater threat to US and Japan regarding the restrained strategy is failure. The current Japan’s economy would not allow Japan to invest as much as it should in its military. Consequently, Japan without the United-States would not be strength enough to counterbalance China, even with Taiwan and South Korea. Thus, an independent Japan would Japan, the United-States security and the relationship between both countries. A last argument stands that deep engagement and the risk of an “over engagement” could irritate the Japanese, pushing them toward independence and therefore deteriorate the relationship between countries. As we aforementioned, the economy of both countries are deeply