The Japan-US Security Treaty was first signed in 1951, coinciding with the end of Allied occupation and Japan’s recovery of independence in the early postwar era, and subsequently revised in 1960 to correct various inadequacies and alleviate a sense of inequality felt on the Japanese side. Its basic structure, namely providing bases in exchange for the guarantee of US security of Japan, however, remains unchanged. This English edition of diplomatic historian SAKAMOTO Kazuya’s highly acclaimed Nichi-Bei domei no kizuna (The Bonds of the Japan-US Alliance; 2000, rev. ed. 2020), winner of the 22nd Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities, carefully depicts the sensitive negotiations and diplomatic finesse behind the establishment and revision of the Japan-US Security Treaty, highlighting the challenges experienced by the two countries to promote mutuality then and later. Drawing on previously undisclosed confidential documents and new research developments on the issue of secret agreements, which were brought to light during the Ministry of Foreign Affairs investigation in 2009-10, the author added a new chapter with updated notes for his revised 2020 edition. Examining the far-reaching implications of these new historical materials, he puts forward the pressing question: What should be the future of Japan-US security cooperation?

This book traces the past 150 years of Japan’s diplomatic history, focusing on the thoughts and actions of the leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since the ministry’s establishment in 1869. It includes a discussion of the last fifteen years of the Edo period, beginning with the arrival of Commodore Perry in 1854. Since the Meiji era, Japan’s foreign policy has been informed by its response to that “confrontation from the West.” This foreign policy has been largely based on “accommodation diplomacy” (also called responsive diplomacy). Japan has designed its diplomatic response with an eye to its own foreign policy goals, applying the metric of what might be feasible more than what might be desirable. In “accommodation diplomacy,” the international issues, international order, and the rules of the game are not defined. In that sense, there has been no all-encompassing strategy behind Japan’s foreign policy. Instead, Japan has regarded the international situation simply, as a set of facts. It has sought to maximize the benefits to itself while minimizing risk. Its foreign policy has been an attempt to solve this conundrum through accommodation. Reflective of the times, this has required an abundance of creativity. Japan has needed to be both pragmatic and forward-thinking in its response to changes in the international environment. In the postwar period, as Japan aimed to elevate its standing in the competition-driven international environment, its foreign policy can be understood as an extension of the way it had comported itself since the Meiji era: emphasizing cooperation and coordination with other nations while responding to changes in the international environment.

Sino-Japanese relations were seriously rattled in September 2010 when a Chinese fishing boat rammed a Japanese Coast Guard patrol ship in Japanese waters off the Senkaku Islands. This was compounded in April 2012 when Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro announced that he planned to buy the islands and added, “if this means war with China, so be it.” Alarmed at the prospect of Ishihara owning the islands, Democratic Party of Japan prime minister Noda Yoshihiko moved to see if there was some way the government could buy them instead, even knowing this would be seen as nationalization. Top officials in foreign policy, defense, and other areas met at Kantei (officially the Prime Minister’s Official Residence, but actually his offices) to find an out that would pre-empt Ishihara without provoking China (which also claimed the islands). This book tells the gripping story of what happened and why.

The passing of Emperor Sh-owa marked the end of an era―an era memorable in both war and peace. As is the custom, the new emperor’s reign was given a new name, in this case “Heisei,” but this did not mean a reset on the international stage. The persistent diplomatic issues remained, and, furthermore, new issues arose. Promoting global peace and stability, preventing natural disasters, relations with China, regional cooperation, Japan’s role in the international order are just some of the many outstanding issues. How did Japan approach them and deal with them? What was accomplished and what still needs to be done? Given the issues’ paramount importance for both Japan and the world at large, this anthology brings together influential essays published by five of Japan’s leading scholars during the period.