Instead, China should understand the appropriateness of a larger Japanese role. After all, Constitutional revision, if it occurs in the next five to ten years, will be a democratic and transparent process in Japan and should not be feared. Internationalization of the yen and greater integration of Asian economies will only happen if Japan's own financial markets are deregulated and transparent. Autarky in Asia is impossible for Tokyo. In other words, these potential changes in Japan are consistent with a more open and accessible Japanese system.
Japan is a good ally.
It is not quite as strategically reliable as Great Britain, but it has rarely undermined U.S. foreign or security policy the way other middle powers like France or even Canada have. The United States should not squander its unipolar moment by letting hubris and disinterest push Japan in the wrong direction. Veteran diplomats know that working with Japan is labor-intensive, but U.S. strategic interests leave no other choice.