Last week's summit between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and U.S. President George W. Bush ushered in a new era for the Japan-U.S. security alliance: The bilateral system is beginning to change into a global alliance.

Against this backdrop is the growing threat of international terrorism and common fears about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Even the United States, the sole superpower since the end of the Cold War, is unable to fight these problems alone and has been forced to establish a joint international front for the purpose.

Complicating the situation is the U.S.-European rift over the Iraq war and intensifying competition for leadership in establishing an international order.

Meanwhile, China has increased its influence in an unstable East Asian situation, and North Korea poses a real threat with its nuclear arms and missiles. For Japan, strengthening its security alliance with the U.S. has become a top priority in its national strategies.

Koizumi and Bush enjoy relations of personal trust unprecedented in Japan-U.S. relations. The president invited Koizumi to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, for the ninth in a series of talks between the two since he took office, including two hours of private pool-side conversation.

Regarding Koizumi, Bush told reporters: "I trust his judgment . . . I deeply respect his leadership."

The Bush administration had nothing but high praise for Koizumi for supporting Bush in the war on terrorism following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and for getting special antiterrorism legislation enacted quickly to send Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to the Indian Ocean to refuel allied warships.

Koizumi had extended strong support to Bush concerning military action against Iraq, when the U.S. faced strong French, Russian and German opposition on the United Nations Security Council.

Koizumi, who favors the top-down style of U.S. presidential politics, seems to have a good chemistry with Bush. Japanese government decision-making in international affairs has been notorious for being "too little, too late," but the Koizumi administration has won approval from Washington for quick action, at least in regard to security policies.

According to a Kyodo News poll conducted in May, the approval rating for the Koizumi Cabinet hit 51.1 percent, topping the 50 percent level for the first time in four months. Of the respondents, 53.5 percent supported three war-contingency bills now before the Diet. Of those supporting that legislation, 70.5 percent said it was natural for Japan to prepare for military contingencies.

Japan is apparently becoming a "normal nation," as the public becomes more supportive of measures to deal with North Korea's threat. Koizumi is likely to have sensed growing public interest in national security when he decided to strengthen the Japan-U.S. security alliance.

The keyword at the summit was "global alliance." Bush said Japan and the U.S. have a global alliance and "are addressing threats to our common security and meeting our common responsibilities" around the globe.

Koizumi said Japan and the U.S. have affirmed the security alliance not just in the bilateral framework but in a "real global context." He added, "We decided to make our cooperation in the security area even stronger."

As a specific example, Koizumi mentioned missile defense. Japan and the U.S. are pushing joint research on missile defense, while Tokyo's official position is that it will make a separate decision on the development and deployment of the system. Koizumi said, though, that Japan will accelerate its consideration of the issue. Koizumi thus kept in step with the Bush administration, which is expediting the development of the system.

Japan-U.S. agreement on policies toward North Korea was a major accomplishment for the alliance. Koizumi stressed to Bush the importance of having North Korea give up its nuclear ambitions through peaceful means, and Bush expressed confidence in a peaceful settlement through diplomacy. Koizumi, however, contended that dialogue alone will not settle the issue and emphasized the importance of pressure as well.

For the first time, Bush also pledged cooperation with Japan toward a complete settlement of problems stemming from the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents.

Koizumi and Bush agreed on joint strategies for seeking "the complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination of North Korea's nuclear program." The Japan-U.S. pledge of cooperation regarding the nuclear, missile and abduction issues will make it more difficult for North Korea to drive a wedge between the two countries. Japan and the U.S. should also strengthen policy cooperation with South Korea.

In the early 1990s, Japan and the U.S., then under the administration of President Bill Clinton, experienced intense economic frictions, and the Japan-U.S. alliance began to unravel. In 1996, however, Japan and the U.S. issued a joint declaration to redefine the bilateral security alliance, expanding the system to cover peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

On the basis of the redefined alliance, the two countries revised their guidelines for bilateral defense cooperation in 1999, and Japan established a law for providing logistic support to U.S. forces in emergencies in its surrounding areas.

Now, four years later, three war-contingency bills are likely to be enacted in the current Diet session. The Diet will then face the challenges of enacting legislation that not only enables Self-Defense Force troops to go to Iraq to assist in reconstruction but also extends the special antiterrorism law, which expires in November. The action will prove Japan's commitment to the global alliance. Koizumi's political skills will be tested as the leader of Japan, a member of what Bush calls "the Coalition of the Willing."