Charles Morrison's Sept. 24 article, "Challenges for the Hatoyama government," states that the U.S.-Japan alliance is "rooted in common and complementary interests." This is a smoke screen that obscures the fundamental imbalance in the relationship. The alliance is asymmetrical as it derives from Japan's humiliating defeat in World War II.
The alliance continues the humiliation by allowing the United States to base its military and, as newly confirmed, (bring in) nuclear weapons — despite Japan's policy of barring the same — as a hedge against China and Russia. Japan has long been America's "unsinkable aircraft carrier" and a bastion and promoter of capitalism in Asia — vis-a-vis the socialism of its neighbors. It has also been a base for provocative intelligence forays vis-a-vis China, Russia and North Korea.
Japan at last has an opportunity to break out of its U.S.-dependent relationship and forge strong "common and complementary" ties with its Asian neighbors. Although this may be anathema to the Morrisons of this world, it is the inexorable wave of the future.
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