Japan

Japan is a critical treaty ally of the United States. It hosts dozens of U.S. military bases and approximately tens of thousand U.S. military personnel, which help provide security and stability in Asia.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Economic Freedom of Japan
How did Japan rank in the Index of Economic Freedom? Click here to find out. Read More.
U.S. Should Stay Firm on Implementation of Okinawa Force Realignment
Attempts by the new Japanese government to renegotiate terms of the Guam Agreement, which would realign U.S. military forces in Japan, have seriously strained U.S.-Japan relations. Read More.

Our Research & Offerings on Japan

Special Report posted April 26, 2012 by The Heritage Foundation One Year Later: Lessons from Recovery After the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake
Executive Summary To assess the Japanese experience, The Heritage Foundation reassembled a team of experts to evaluate Japan’s long-term efforts to recover from the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and to prepare for future catastrophes. Based on extensive literature and interviews with Japanese officials and experts, the team…
Special Report posted March 7, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D., Kumi Yokoe, Ph.D. Japan's National Budget: Time to Give Up on Keynesianism
Abstract: Japan’s “lost decade” has turned into two; and Japan is not alone. Staggering amounts of public debt and stagnant economies have become a problem from the EU to the U.S. Despite twenty years of evidence to the contrary, the belief persists that deficit…
WebMemo posted February 8, 2012 by Bruce Klingner White House Deal with Japan Risks Military Capability in Asia
On February 8, the United States and Japan jointly announced changes to the existing bilateral accord for realigning U.S. Marines on Okinawa. While both sides affirmed commitment to relocating a Marine air unit on the island, more significantly, the Obama Administration abandoned longstanding U.S. insistence that Japan fulfill pre-conditional commitments…
Backgrounder posted December 6, 2011 by Dean Cheng, Bruce Klingner Defense Budget Cuts Will Devastate America’s Commitment to the Asia–Pacific
Abstract: The failure of the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (“Super Committee”) to come to agreement on reducing the federal deficit raises the real prospect of a total of $1 trillion in …
Backgrounder posted November 7, 2011 by Jack Spencer Japan’s Nuclear Withdrawal: Bad for Japan, Bad for the U.S., Bad for the World
This report is available in Japanese. Click here to read. Abstract: Due to the accidents at the Fukushima nuclear plant in March 2011, the Japanese government is re-evaluating its commitment to nuclear energy. Japan’s apprehension about nuclear power is…
WebMemo posted October 18, 2011 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D., J.D. Foster, Ph.D. Avoiding America’s Lost Decades
The warning bells were sounded in early 2009: The U.S. government had to act swiftly and forcefully to avoid repeating Japan’s painful experience of sustained economic stagnation.[1] The Obama Administration’s policies have failed to this point, and Japanese-style long-term stagnation may well ensue unless a fundamental course correction…
Commentary posted October 18, 2011 by Bruce Klingner “High Hopes…and Skepticism for Prime Minister Noda”
U.S. officials express greater optimism about Japanese stewardship under Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda than under his lackluster predecessors. The DPJ abandoned the naïve foreign and security policies of the Hatoyama administration after Chinese and North Korean belligerence underscored the wisdom of a strong alliance with the United States. And Noda…
Commentary posted October 12, 2011 by Bruce Klingner Fukushima Crisis Shows Weakness in Japanese Crisis Management
Initial assessments of Japan's response to the 3/11 disasters were positive. Tokyo appeared to have responded quickly and efficiently to the combined earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophes. The government established an emergency response team headed by the prime minister, coordinated over 300 organizations providing disaster relief, and quickly ordered deployment…
Commentary posted September 1, 2011 by Bruce Klingner Japan's Revolving Door at the Top
Like a hapless baseball team forced to go to the bullpen for yet another relief pitcher, Japan has called up a new prime minister, its sixth in five years. Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda of the Democratic Party of Japan, or DPJ, is the latest iteration of what has become an…
WebMemo posted August 30, 2011 by Bruce Klingner, Derek Scissors, Ph.D. The U.S. Needs a Real Partner in the New Japanese Prime Minister
As dependable as the tide, a new prime minister has washed ashore in Japan. Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda is the latest iteration of what has become an annual ritual of Japanese leadership change. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has been unceremoniously tossed aside, although his 15-month term will be remembered as…

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Special Report posted April 26, 2012 by The Heritage Foundation One Year Later: Lessons from Recovery After the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake
Executive Summary To assess the Japanese experience, The Heritage Foundation reassembled a team of experts to evaluate Japan’s long-term efforts to recover from the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and to prepare for future catastrophes. Based on extensive literature and interviews with Japanese officials and experts, the team…
Special Report posted March 7, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D., Kumi Yokoe, Ph.D. Japan's National Budget: Time to Give Up on Keynesianism
Abstract: Japan’s “lost decade” has turned into two; and Japan is not alone. Staggering amounts of public debt and stagnant economies have become a problem from the EU to the U.S. Despite twenty years of evidence to the contrary, the belief persists that deficit…
Special Report posted May 25, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D. The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake: Assessing Disaster Response and Lessons for the U.S.
Executive Summary The massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011, and the following release of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, represent one of the greatest disasters to strike the nation…
WebMemo posted August 30, 2011 by Bruce Klingner, Derek Scissors, Ph.D. The U.S. Needs a Real Partner in the New Japanese Prime Minister
As dependable as the tide, a new prime minister has washed ashore in Japan. Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda is the latest iteration of what has become an annual ritual of Japanese leadership change. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has been unceremoniously tossed aside, although his 15-month term will be remembered as…
WebMemo posted October 18, 2011 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D., J.D. Foster, Ph.D. Avoiding America’s Lost Decades
The warning bells were sounded in early 2009: The U.S. government had to act swiftly and forcefully to avoid repeating Japan’s painful experience of sustained economic stagnation.[1] The Obama Administration’s policies have failed to this point, and Japanese-style long-term stagnation may well ensue unless a fundamental course correction…
White Paper posted January 14, 2011 by Walter Lohman, John Fleming, Nicholas Hamisevicz Key Asian Indicators: A Book of Charts
The global financial crisis has had a major impact on perceptions of American power and its relationships in Asia. Many of the perceptions are not founded on facts. Among the facts often overlooked: American companies invest far more abroad than does…
Backgrounder posted July 11, 2011 by Dean Cheng Sea Power and the Chinese State: China’s Maritime Ambitions
Abstract: The expansion of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is in many ways a logical and even forgone conclusion. China is the world’s second-largest economy; its heavy dependence on trade inevitably makes the seas of growing importance to national well-being. Yet as China’s…
WebMemo posted September 22, 2010 by Walter Lohman Not the Time to Go Wobbly: Press U.S. Advantage on South China Sea
A few days ago, the Associated Press quoted Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell and White House Asia Adviser Jeffrey Bader telling ambassadors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that the Administration’s toughness regarding China’s claims in the South China Sea is…
Backgrounder posted November 7, 2011 by Jack Spencer Japan’s Nuclear Withdrawal: Bad for Japan, Bad for the U.S., Bad for the World
This report is available in Japanese. Click here to read. Abstract: Due to the accidents at the Fukushima nuclear plant in March 2011, the Japanese government is re-evaluating its commitment to nuclear energy. Japan’s apprehension about nuclear power is…
WebMemo posted September 24, 2010 by Dean Cheng China–Japan Confrontation at Sea: Senkaku Islands Issue Won’t Go Away
In recent weeks, a group of uninhabited rocky outcroppings in the East China Sea between Okinawa and Taiwan have become a serious source of tension between Beijing and Tokyo. On September 8, the Japan Coast Guard arrested the crew of a Chinese fishing vessel operating in the waters off the…

Find more work on Japan

Special Report posted April 26, 2012 by The Heritage Foundation One Year Later: Lessons from Recovery After the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake
Executive Summary To assess the Japanese experience, The Heritage Foundation reassembled a team of experts to evaluate Japan’s long-term efforts to recover from the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and to prepare for future catastrophes. Based on extensive literature and interviews with Japanese officials and experts, the team…
Special Report posted March 7, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D., Kumi Yokoe, Ph.D. Japan's National Budget: Time to Give Up on Keynesianism
Abstract: Japan’s “lost decade” has turned into two; and Japan is not alone. Staggering amounts of public debt and stagnant economies have become a problem from the EU to the U.S. Despite twenty years of evidence to the contrary, the belief persists that deficit…
WebMemo posted February 8, 2012 by Bruce Klingner White House Deal with Japan Risks Military Capability in Asia
On February 8, the United States and Japan jointly announced changes to the existing bilateral accord for realigning U.S. Marines on Okinawa. While both sides affirmed commitment to relocating a Marine air unit on the island, more significantly, the Obama Administration abandoned longstanding U.S. insistence that Japan fulfill pre-conditional commitments…
Backgrounder posted December 6, 2011 by Dean Cheng, Bruce Klingner Defense Budget Cuts Will Devastate America’s Commitment to the Asia–Pacific
Abstract: The failure of the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (“Super Committee”) to come to agreement on reducing the federal deficit raises the real prospect of a total of $1 trillion in …
Backgrounder posted November 7, 2011 by Jack Spencer Japan’s Nuclear Withdrawal: Bad for Japan, Bad for the U.S., Bad for the World
This report is available in Japanese. Click here to read. Abstract: Due to the accidents at the Fukushima nuclear plant in March 2011, the Japanese government is re-evaluating its commitment to nuclear energy. Japan’s apprehension about nuclear power is…
WebMemo posted October 18, 2011 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D., J.D. Foster, Ph.D. Avoiding America’s Lost Decades
The warning bells were sounded in early 2009: The U.S. government had to act swiftly and forcefully to avoid repeating Japan’s painful experience of sustained economic stagnation.[1] The Obama Administration’s policies have failed to this point, and Japanese-style long-term stagnation may well ensue unless a fundamental course correction…
WebMemo posted August 30, 2011 by Bruce Klingner, Derek Scissors, Ph.D. The U.S. Needs a Real Partner in the New Japanese Prime Minister
As dependable as the tide, a new prime minister has washed ashore in Japan. Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda is the latest iteration of what has become an annual ritual of Japanese leadership change. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has been unceremoniously tossed aside, although his 15-month term will be remembered as…
Backgrounder posted July 11, 2011 by Dean Cheng Sea Power and the Chinese State: China’s Maritime Ambitions
Abstract: The expansion of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is in many ways a logical and even forgone conclusion. China is the world’s second-largest economy; its heavy dependence on trade inevitably makes the seas of growing importance to national well-being. Yet as China’s…
Backgrounder posted June 14, 2011 by Bruce Klingner Top 10 Reasons Why the U.S. Marines on Okinawa Are Essential to Peace and Security in the Pacific
Abstract: Two factors have driven the debate over the planned U.S. military realignment in Japan: campaign pledges made by the Democratic Party of Japan and complaints from Okinawans about the presence of the U.S. military. These factors have…
Special Report posted May 25, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D. The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake: Assessing Disaster Response and Lessons for the U.S.
Executive Summary The massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011, and the following release of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, represent one of the greatest disasters to strike the nation…

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Blog Post on 3/12/2012 5:30:27 AM Japan: One Year Later
Yesterday, Japan remembered. On March 11, 2011, an earthquake rocked the coast of Japan. The quake generated the...…
Blog Post on 3/10/2012 5:34:27 AM Scribecast: One Year After Earthquake, Japan's Ambassador Talks Recovery
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, a massive jolt to the country that caused...…
Blog Post on 12/6/2011 9:39:00 AM U.S. Should Encourage Strong Japan-India Relations
India is steadily emerging to be one of the world’s top economic players but still faces development challenges and...…
Blog Post on 9/29/2011 9:58:07 AM Japan and Philippines Strengthen Strategic Partnership
Philippine President Beningo Aquino III and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who just returned from a week of...…
Blog Post on 9/21/2011 7:21:54 AM Japanese Prime Minister to Visit the U.S.: Will He Walk the Talk?
[caption id="attachment_79602" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (L),...…
Blog Post on 9/2/2011 7:03:20 AM To-Do List for Japan’s New Prime Minister
The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan earlier this year did more than destroy the livelihoods of tens of...…
Blog Post on 6/22/2011 5:36:37 AM United States Affirms Military Realignment Plan in Japan
During bilateral security talks, Washington and Tokyo affirmed their commitment to the 2009 bilateral Guam Agreement,...…
Blog Post on 3/14/2011 4:52:18 AM Morning Bell: Nuclear Facts to Remember While Following Japan
The true scope of the devastation in Japan caused by Friday’s earthquake and tsunami are still unknown. While the...…
Blog Post on 3/12/2011 7:00:14 AM Understanding Japan’s Response to Its Nuclear Reactor Emergency
The impact of the Japanese earthquake on its nuclear reactors continues to capture the world’s attention. Reports of...…
Blog Post on 3/11/2011 10:02:12 AM Statement on the Earthquake in Japan
On behalf of the entire Heritage Foundation family, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the people of Japan as they...…