Are the United States and Japan ready for a more equal, mature security partnership? Signs are increasingly suggesting that the answer is yes, although both sides still seem more comfortable paying lip service to the idea than actually pursuing it.
In the past, bilateral strategic dialogue too often took the form of Washington pronouncing its "strategic wisdom," which Japanese officials then politely accepted. The two sides have always been capable of heated debate on technical and tactical (as well as economic) issues. But when it came to grand strategy, traditionally it has been a one-sided dialogue.
This is changing. When Japanese officials call for more strategic dialogue today, they actually mean it. This came through loud and clear during the March 2000 U.S.-Japan San Francisco Security Seminar, an annual gathering of current and former officials and security analysts from both countries. While few argued that the relationship was in trouble, one common lament was the lack of real dialogue on the issues that matter most.