Postwar Japan gave up guns for butter in its bid to prioritize economic reconstruction. This position has lingered for 60 years, and Japan today continues to rely heavily on its alliance with the United States for its own national defense.
On Oct. 29, Japan and the U.S. held the so-called two-plus-two meeting in Washington of foreign ministers and defense chiefs, and announced an interim report on how Japanese and U.S. forces would jointly respond to military emergencies in and around Japan, as well as on realignment of American forces in Japan. The report was put together amid changing global circumstances that require the two countries to readjust their system of cooperation, so that they can better cope with new post-Cold War risks, such as terrorism and religious conflicts.
The United States is reviewing its response to uncertainties over wide areas spanning Asia to the Middle East. But it is also natural for Japan, as the world's largest creditor today, to review its Constitution and national security policies -- a move that I must say has been long overdue.