Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the United States this past week provided an ideal opportunity to reinvigorate the long-standing U.S.-Japan bilateral alliance in the face of an increasingly aggressive China and persistent tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
For a half-century, the U.S.-Japan alliance has been a cornerstone of Asian and global peace, security, and stability — and Japan has been an outstanding global citizen. Japan developed the economic-growth model that other Asian countries later emulated so successfully; actively contributed to global economic development; participated in the United Nations and other multilateral institutions (including paying a disproportionately high percentage of U.N. costs); and has helped to set a global standard for environmental protection and sustainable development.
Japan and the U.S. are both facing significant internal and external challenges, including rising tensions in Asia.