May 27, 2011

FY2011 US Study Group, Japan Institute of International Affairs“The Place of Alliances in US Foreign Policy”[Background and objectives]
Despite the turbulence that has characterized the international community since the end ofWorld War II, Japan as a nation has enjoyed more than a half-century of peace and prosperity.
This is, of course, attributable in overwhelming part to the efforts of the Japanese people.
Another key factor underlying Japan’s prosperity is its pursuit of amicable and cooperative
relations with other democratic countries.

The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Securitybetween Japan and the United States of America or, more informally, the Japan-US Security
Treaty, as well as the security regime arising therefrom occupies an important place inJapanese foreign policy.

The US shares the basic values and philosophies of freedom anddemocracy and possesses tremendous military might.

By continuing the Japan-US allianceand effectively leveraging the alliance’s deterrence capability for the sake of national security
as well as by maintaining suitable defensive capabilities of its own, Japan has developed aseamless posture that has ensured its security and prosperity.

Based on the common values

and interests of both countries, the Japan-US alliance retains its significance in the face of thenumerous global issues – among them the financial crisis, terrorism, the spread of infectious
diseases, large-scale natural disasters, and climate change – now confronting theinternational community.

In particular, the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 has given arenewed sense of importance to Japan-US cooperation.
Against this background, this Study Group will primarily conduct an exhaustive comparative
study of the history and present status of alliances between the US and other countries (theUK, Israel, NATO, Germany, France, South Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, etc.), with aparticular emphasis on the Japan-US alliance.

We believe that we can further clarify therelative role and significance of the Japan-US alliance through such an endeavour.

The

coordination of interests when forming alliances and the historical environment from whichalliances stem also constitute critical parts of our research, as the natures of alliances arealways in flux as a consequence of global circumstances and domestic political conditions.
Giving these changes due consideration, we will elucidate the alliances that the US has
currently formed and the political structures supporting these alliances, and will highlight theparticular characteristics of the Japan-US alliance.

Above all, this Study Group will focus its research on the following questions:・ What US national interests are served by the Japan-US alliance?
・ What compromises has the US made with Japan in the Japan-US alliance to ensure its
own national interests?
・ What form does “alliance asymmetry” take in the Japan-US alliance and in alliances
between the US and other countries?
・ In what ways is the Japan-US alliance similar to, and in what ways is it different from,alliances between the US and other countries with regard to national interests andcompromises?
・ In view of the above, what position can the Japan-US alliance be assigned within theUS’ multi-tiered alliance structure?
Similar research conducted in Japan includes “Comparative Research on Alliances: In Searchof a Post-Cold War Order” (Nippon Hyoronsha, 2001) written and edited by Funabashi Yoichi
and “Comparative Foreign Policy” (Akashi Shoten, 2004) edited by Sakurada Daizo and ItoGo, but all of this research on alliances has been very general in nature.

By contrast, thisStudy Group has expressly adopted a perspective of “alliances from an American standpoint,”
making this research unique in its particular concern with the policy implications for theJapan-US alliance.

This project will naturally be conducted at an extremely high academic

level, and should produce substantial guidelines for working-level officials directly involved inJapan-US relations.
[Overview of activities]
The Study Group’s research on the “The Place of Alliances in US Foreign Policy” will beconducted over a two-year period, FY2010 to FY2011.

At the end of last fiscal year, theproject’s first year, we submitted a report, and this fiscal year, the project’s second year, wewill carry out more in-depth study and research based on this report, seeking to publish ourresearch findings in book form once this research project has concluded.
The Study Group holds periodic meetings at which members present reports on theirrespective topics.

The Study Group plans to hold about one meeting per month for a total ofeight or so meetings by the end of the current fiscal year.

The Study Group will request

participation from relevant departments within Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will
endeavour to collaborate with the Embassy of Japan in the US.
The project findings will also be referenced at JIIA Forums and on the JIIA website to makethem more broadly available.

[Study Group Participants]
Leader:KUBO Fumiaki (Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo;
Adjunct Fellow, Japan Institute of International Affairs)

Members:

ABE Junichi (Senior Fellow, Kazankai Foundation)
IKEUCHI Satoshi (Associate Professor, Research Center for Advanced
Science and Technology, University of Tokyo)
ISHIKAWA Taku (Associate Professor, Department of International
Relations, National Defense Academy of Japan)
IWAMA Yoko (Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies)
KAMIYA Matake (Professor, Department of International Relations, National
Defense Academy of Japan)
KURATA Hideya (Professor, Department of International Relations, National
Defense Academy of Japan; Adjunct Fellow, Japan Institute of InternationalAffairs)
SASAKI Takuya (Professor, Faculty of Law and Politics, Rikkyo University)
NAKAYAMA Toshihiro, Professor, School of International Politics &Economics, Aoyama Gakuin University; Adjunct Fellow, Japan Institute ofInternational Relations)HOSOYA Juichi (Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University)

Members &SAIKI Naoko (Deputy Director General and Senior Research Fellow,

Secretaries:

Japan Institute of International Affairs)
FUKUDA Tamotsu (Research Fellow, Japan Institute of International Affairs)
MATSUMOTO Asuka (Research Fellow, Japan Institute of International
Affairs)

Assistant:

TAKAZAWA Hiroshi (Research Assistant, Japan Institute of International
Affairs)