We need to work together. Each of us brings unique strengths to our alliance. For the United States, this includes our global strategic posture, our forward deployed forces in the Asia-Pacific region, payment of the vast majority of expenses associated with those forces, and our fundamental treaty commitment to the defense of Japan. Japan's contribution includes investments in the Self Defense Forces, the provision of bases and Host Nation Support. There are some who say that with the end of the Cold War, our alliance has lost its direction and purpose.
Nothing can be farther from the truth.
The past 50 years illustrate the resilience of our partnership, but we can't stand still. We must continually seek to refine our cooperation to meet future challenges. Japan and the United States are countries with different histories and cultures. These values give purpose to our security alliance. Reflecting on his travels, Lowell observed that our two peoples at times view the world somewhat differently.