Japanese and U.S. military professionals are building upon their partnership to collaboratively respond to unpredictable security challenges that can lead to instability in Asia and the world. U.S. forces remain deeply committed to the Japan-U.S. Security Alliance and being sincere, credible partners for our Japanese military counterparts. We have been busy as we effectively improve our readiness to defend the flags of both the United States and Japan.

Based on three different military assignments in Japan and through my frequent interaction with Japanese friends, I believe the Japanese public values the security alliance with the U.S. My sense is that most would say that U.S. forces in Japan are important for Japan's defense and many support a strong Japanese defense posture to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens.

Why? Across the East-Asia Pacific region, recently modernizing and significantly larger standing militaries than those of Japan and the U.S. — with histories of regional hostilities — continue to cause international concern. For many years the Japan-U.S. Security Alliance has helped reassure both Japanese citizens and those of other nations that peace and stability can be an achievable goal. More recently, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun and Gallup Inc., 39 percent of Japanese and 46 percent of Americans said they think the two countries share "very good" or "good" relations.