Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie Senior Fellow James Schoff looks ahead to U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next week in New York City.
Washington and Tokyo are sending some conflicting signals regarding their policies toward China, bracing for strategic competition but also trying to strengthen cooperation in certain priority areas.
Nearly twenty years ago, the leaders of Japan and South Korea raised hopes for “a new Japan-Korea partnership for the twenty-first century,” backed by an action plan to foster broader cooperation and closer people-to-people ties.
Japan’s national security is protected first and foremost by the U.S.-Japan alliance and its deterrence power. Robust deterrence is a national imperative for both countries because it minimizes the prospect for conflict and maintains access and influence to preserve an open economic system
In 2018 Japan continues to face both domestic and international issues of critical importance. Meanwhile, the U.S.-Japan alliance remains solid as energy trade becomes an important new area of bilateral cooperation.
A continually rising and more assertive China presents both risks and opportunities for the international community. The United States and Japan approach China policy issues with many common views but often different priorities or diplomatic tools.