The next U.S. administration — whether it's Democratic or Republican — will expect Japan to play a larger role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan as well as "the war on terror" being waged there, a U.S. think tank expert told a recent seminar in Tokyo.
At the same time, U.S. policymakers will have to get used to the changing political circumstances in Japan as they try to manage the security alliance with Tokyo, said Sheila Smith, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington-based think tank.
Smith spoke last Tuesday at a seminar organized by Keizai Koho Center under the theme "Challenges for U.S. Diplomacy in Asia" as the United States braces for the Nov. 5 presidential election and the launch of a new administration in January.