Transformation of the American-Japanese Alliance

The redistribution of power in the group of leading world powers is related to the rise of China and the comparative weakening of the U.S. positions in world politics. It has a substantial impact on the development of the U.S.-Japan alliance, which has been one of the most stable and important elements of regional architecture in East Asia in recent decades. Meanwhile, such a topic has been neglected by the research community in recent years. The purpose of present article is to reveal contradictions in the evolution of the U.S.-Japan military-political alliance and identify current trends of its transformation. The authors conclude that complications may arise in the interaction of China and the U.S. because of policies adopted by other countries. In particular, the intensification of the contradictions between China and Japan could lead to the engagement of the United States in the dynamics of their rivalry. The article considers the conceptual issues of the modern theory of military-political alliances, and analyzes the possible impact of "alliance dilemma" on the behavior of the world's leading powers. In addition, it includes an analysis of the evolution of U.S.-Japan relations in the military-political sphere since the 1950s. The article claims that contrary to the period of bipolar competition the nature of the contradictions in this bilateral alliance have changed fundamentally. Before the 1990s Japan's main concerns were related to the probability of being involved in conflicts with the communist powers, initiated by the United States; today Japan is much more concerned about the prospect in which it will be left without U.S. support in its conflict with China. The United States, by contrast, have to rely on Japan’s assistance in the military, political and technical spheres more widely. However, they are concerned about the political venture of Japan against China.

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