Japan and the United States need to rethink their relationship and expand their ties from a narrow alliance to a partnership that can deal with a broad range of global challenges, American foreign policy experts said in a recent symposium in Tokyo.
President Barack Obama's visit to Tokyo in November provides a good opportunity for the new government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who took office in September, to set a new direction in Tokyo-Washington ties, they said.
But Hatoyama will need to clarify what he means when he advocates an "equal" relationship with the U.S., the experts said.