LAS VEGAS -- For decades, Tokyo has wanted to be treated like a "normal" nation free from the constraints of the Occupation Era and U.S. foreign-policy dominance. Well, Japan is on the edge of realizing that dream, but the costs will be the end of the special U.S.-Japan relationship and the emergence of Japan as a military threat.
The U.S. presidential election has made this trend toward a redefinition of Japan's relevance very obvious. A careful examination of the Republican and Democratic platforms and the statements of presidential advisers indicates that neither political party really cares much about Japan-related issues. No matter which candidate wins the presidential election in November, Japan will not be high on the list of policy concerns.
The irony is that, contrary to conventional Washington wisdom, Japan has in fact become more important to the United States during the last decade of relative quiet because Tokyo has sorted out its own identity problems, become a major player in the global entertainment industry, and reformed its economy to be more receptive to international trends.