Japan and the United States should try to move their alliance forward by stepping up cooperation on regional and global issues such as climate change, experts told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
While the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama has made sure not to sidestep Japan in the initial phase of its diplomatic activity, China will inevitably take up much of American policymakers' attention vis-a-vis East Asia, and it is worrying that Tokyo and Washington do not appear to be engaged in substantial policy dialogue despite an abundance of regional issues, they said.
Three experts from U.S. think tanks spoke on the Obama administration's diplomatic agenda and implications for the Japan-U.S. relationship during the Feb. 6 symposium organized by the Keizai Koho Center. Doshisha University professor Koji Murata served as moderator of the discussions.