US-Japan Policy 1941-2018: The Continuation of Great Power Politics
Journal: BIBSYS Brage (BIBSYS (Norway))
Year: 2018

This paper examines the durability of the US-Japan alliance by retracing its historical development. It describes how US and Japanese geopolitical goals have shifted from 1941 to the present. It employs the realist geopolitical theory of Professor John Mearsheimer and the soft power theory of Professor Joseph Nye to examine the relevance of Japan to US interests in Asia. The research concludes that Japan remains an indispensable ally primarily due the strategic threat posed by the growing Chines