11418031

CHANG Ching-Chun
History of Japanese Foreign Relations
Jan 5th, 2022

The Relationship of the US and Japan after 2000:

A Case Study of Japan’s Foreign Policy

First, before the beginning of the Cold War, Japan had roughly established its
diplomatic strategic intention of "rebuilding Japan" by returning to the international
community and developing its national strength under the aegis of the United States.
Historical facts prove that this diplomatic strategy has been fully displayed and played,
which also indirectly affects the future relations between Japan and the United States.
After the war, Japan took the initiative to develop the relationship between Japan and
the United States and got generous peace conditions and security measures from the
United States. The "diplomatic convenience" obtained by Japan from the US-Japan axis
is obvious. Until the 21st century, with the development of globalization, Japan has
positioned its diplomatic strategy from the perspective of safeguarding its interests, and
pursued its foreign strategic goals by getting rid of the "post-war system", shouldering
"international responsibilities", "valuing diplomacy", etc. Striving to achieve Japan's
status as a political great power corresponding to its economic strength reflects the new
characteristics of independent diplomacy. Stressing the importance and urgency of
formulating foreign strategies.
Japan's diplomacy is largely based on the US-Japan security treaty, or US-Japan
defense pact. As America's closest ally in Asia, and as a result of its military assistance
to Japan in the decades after the war, Japan's foreign policy has been shaped to some
extent by the United States. After 2000, as the cooperation scope of the US-Japan
security system expanded to regional and global military security issues, the US-Japan
alliance took on the substantive significance and interactive behavior of "alliance" in
the early 21st century. Moreover, the transformation of the US-Japan security system
not only shows the drastic transformation of the international order and its impact on
the US-Japan alliance but also highlights the drastic changes of the East Asian regional
order around 2000. It can be seen that America's influence on Japan, or Japan's
influence on America, cannot be underestimated. The intense and deepening political
division in the United States in recent years has been a serious challenge to Japan's
foreign policy. With political dysfunction and COVID-19, this challenge is likely to
intensify in the year ahead. Japan's foreign policy has shifted from a focus on its alliance
with the United States to a more proactive, flexible, and quiet approach.
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