Regarding the Dec. 16 article "What does Japan want from Washington?": Because of the juvenile behavior of the new Japanese government toward the United States, I am losing faith in it as a trustworthy ally and would recommend that the U.S. start playing hardball to test the motives of the new government.
The U.S. option to pull out of Japan and let Japan go it alone should be on the table. More Americans may come to support allowing Japan to sink or swim in its "Asian Community," which is alien to cooperation with the U.S. and the rest of the West. Let Japan sit alone under the nuclear gun of North Korea! Let China dictate how the Japanese economy goes! Let Japan unilaterally argue over disputed possessions with Taiwan, South Korea and Russia!
My view is that Japan doesn't realize what a great partner the U.S. can be, and is at present. Until it does, or if it doesn't, the U.S. can rightfully pull the partnership plug from under the Hatoyama administration.