January 26, 2010
Venue: Plaza Hall, Kasumigaseki Bldg.

Jack Crouch
Vice-President for Strategy Development, QNA
Former Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff to the US President“Considering the Japan-US Alliance from thePerspective of US Defense Policy”

Major changes are now taking place in Japan and East Asia, and I sincerely
consider it an honor to be able to come to Japan at such an important time. I
hope that I will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with you on the future
direction of cooperation between Japan and the US as well as on ways of further
strengthening the Japan-US alliance. I should also like to note at the outsetthat my specialty is not Asia but rather US security policy. That said, I wouldlike first to present an overview of the context of US security policy. Next, I will
speak on the threats facing US security and the impact these have on security
policy. Finally, I will discuss the implications of these two issues for theJapan-US alliance.
First, let me describe the context of US security policy. Midterm elections will
be held this year and, though these elections will likely focus on domestic issues,there is little doubt that the election results will have an effect on future USdefense policy approaches. As made apparent in the outcome of theby-election in Massachusetts, there will be vigorous political debate on both
domestic and foreign policy throughout the spring and summer leading up to theNovember elections themselves. The Obama administration has undertaken a
Quarterly Defense Review (QDR) and a Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), laying

the cornerstone for its defense policy, and attention should be paid to theconnection between this defense policy and the defense budget.
This year marks the 50th year of the Japan-US alliance, and will therefore
probably see efforts to reaffirm the significance of the Japan-US alliance and toconvey its importance to the younger generations. There are certain to be
major developments in Afghanistan as well, as President Obama has deployedan additional 30,000 troops there. The results of his policies toward Iran andNorth Korea may come under scrutiny, and the question remains open as towhether the Obama administration will embark on sanctions against Iran. Asia,too, will see major political changes, with elections scheduled to take place in
Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan by 2012.
Moving now to the topic of threats to US security, the first of these is theconsiderable threat of international terrorism. Just recently there was an
attempted aircraft bombing by a terrorist. Connected with the problem ofterrorism is the problem of nuclear non-proliferation, and Iran and North Korea
are of particular importance in this connection. Third is the rise of China andthe problems this poses for the security of East Asia. There are a number ofother issues beyond these, including trade issues and climate change.
What balance should be struck among the aforementioned problems? The US
is an introverted country. American diplomats and politicians may not be so, but
the average American is, being primarily interested in domestic politics. The
American public does not necessarily take a great interest in foreign affairs andsecurity. On the correlation between terrorism and other security issues, it
should be pointed out that the war against terror has been the primary focus ofsecurity policy since 9/11. Though attention is on terrorism at the moment, theemphasis could shift toward more traditional security threats in future. How will
this point be addressed in the new QDR? How will extended deterrence behandled within the QDR and the NPR? Consideration should be given to thebalance among these.
Finally, what are the implications of the above for Japan-US relations? The US
is not a great Asian power but rather a great power with influence in Asia.
Although the US is not an Asian country, it does have an important role to playhere. The Japan-US alliance is nothing less than an important means ofmaking such US involvement in Asia possible. Were the Japan-US alliance nolonger able to function, the reverberations would be felt not only in Japan and theUS but throughout East Asia. The Japan-US alliance was established on thebasis of the two countries’ shared democratic values and security interests, andthe Japan-US alliance will be the key to resolving numerous problems in thefuture as well. For that and other reasons, Japan and the US should face up tothe problems presently confronting the Japan-US alliance. Nevertheless, Iworry that excessive efforts spent on tackling current issues between Japan andthe US will crowd out efforts to tackle truly important security issues for both
Japan and the US such as Afghanistan and the war on terror.
I think the Japan-US alliance should get back to basics. It is crucial that thepeoples of both countries be educated on just how significant and valuable theJapan-US alliance is for Japan’s defense and East Asia’s security and that thisimportance be reaffirmed. The Japan-US alliance should also seek further
development even as it returns to basics, i.e., it should endeavor to expand into
many other areas of cooperation such as climate change and humanitarianassistance, and greater efforts should be made in this direction. Accordingly,
the issues confronting the Japan-US alliance at the moment must be tackled
head-on so that constructive resolutions to the same can be found.