Opinion polls in both Japan and the United States show continued strong support for their security alliance and economic relationship, but Trump administration trade policies, its withdrawal from international agreements, and its undermining of multilateral institutions is stressing bilateral ties in ways not seen in decades. Japan is accustomed to some degree of U.S. political and policy fluctuation, but could we be entering an era of greater alliance tension as partisan battles in Washington intensify?
Japanese historian Koji Murata will put into context Tokyo’s evaluation of (and possible adjustment to) political change in the United States. From Carter to Reagan, from Bush to Clinton, and from Obama to Trump, how can the past inform our present and future policy choices as an alliance? Veteran diplomat Rust Deming will join the conversation, moderated by Carnegie’s Jim Schoff.
This event is cosponsored by the U.S. Japan Research Institute.
Koji Murata
Koji Murata is currently professor of political science at Doshisha University, where he served previously as dean of the Faculty of Law and as president. His latest publication is a biography of Ronald Reagan.
Rust Deming
Rust Deming is an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Following a four-decade career in the U.S. Department of State where he served in a variety of posts including deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and principal deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
James L. Schoff
James L. Schoff is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program. His research focuses on U.S.-Japan relations and regional engagement, Japanese politics and security, and the private sector’s role in Japanese policymaking.
