o Nuclear deterrence
o US presence in Asia as offshore and onshore balancer

MAIN ISSUE: East China Sea surrounding 'inhabited small islands and rocks' known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan

o closely related to important interests of other countries, e.g. US, as both China and Japan have ties with country; BASICALLY, TERRITORIAL DISPUTES = IMPORTANCE INTENRATIONALLY!!; US not wanting to be dragged into wars, and wanting to promote peace in region...

Economic reasons → economic cooperation, need for regional stability amongst two nations

Regional Stability → looking almost at regional hegemony, and how when stability is in favor of Japan and/or China it's good, but if other power tries grasping more power, it is seen as a 'threat to regional stability...'

The relations between China and Japan, two largest economies in Asia and an inextricably tied power dyad bound by their geostrategic proximity and economic/cultural integration, ‘bear directly on peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world as a whole’ (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, 2012) (p.51)

The two claim that their rights to islands are "mutually exclusive," making both sides unable to accept other's stance; this constant ideology never reaches a solution among two nations, therefore instability... always tension, or on edge (p.49)

Chinese and Japanese citizens respectfully being fearful/concerned over potential conflict over territorial disputes → leading to instability b/w two regions and across East Asia (p.46)

• "the rise of nationalism in both countries has further plagued Sino- Japan relations, creating politically colder climate and even damaging their previously warm economics ties" (p.42); nationalism → more of one's success → growing power...

• "regional power shift due to clash of Sino-Japan nationalisms in conjunction with historically rooted animosity on both sides, creating an environment more conducive to bilateral tensions rather than mutual trust and cooperation. Mounting tensions between China and Japan challenge a widely held assumption that close economic relations would lead to a more stable regional order" (p.41) THAT'S HUGE
  

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), key example of strategy of engaging many big powers, Asian and others, i.e. US, even EU into regional security dialogue (p.124); focusing on regional security = stability in region

Omni-enmeshment function → cooperative security: states cooperate with each other through ascription to norms and principles such as TAC, and through informal dialogue and exchange, cultivating a climate of conflict avoidance and functional cooperation shared issue areas" (p.131);
o is conflict avoidance the best way for stability... looking at Korean Peninsula, and 38th parallel... is that considered stability?

The Revised Security Treaty of 1960

• 10-year time limit, decennial renewal; has been renewed and is is today
• More of a collective defense agreement than the treaty signed in 1952
  **Joint defense area (“territories under Japanese administration”)
  
  • stil kinda of a restricted view...
    
    

*Seen as adding stability b/c shows how US sees Japan and the seriousness these two nations are with each other...

alliance: pool resources against common challenge/threat; strong alliances have joint military plans amongst allies to fight enemies

Theory of Alliances (Walt 1987)

• lists as to what alliances are, how they come to be, etc.

What has been the purpose of the US-Japan alliance?

- balance against USSR, but maybe keep Japan down? not re-militarize and become an aggressive state (as it was during WIII and years leading up to it) and have it integrate "peacefully" in East Asia

How might the US-Japan alliance evolve with time and changing strategic

• Japan becomes a more proactive power, and less of a passive power living under US security umbrella, as seen during the Cold War; turning its defense expenses from below 1% to 2% (that's more than double!)

TREATIES NOT REALLY HELPING ALLIANCE PER SE, JUST HINDERING JAPAN FROM BECOMING BIG POWER!!

EX: Yoshida Doctrine; every incoming Japanese PM sticking with Yoshida Doctrine, US not liking it b/c they are seeing Japan enrich itself while US is freeriding...; wants Japan to spend on military defenses, Japan says no...

• Increase defense budget to 2 percent of GDP by 2027

  
  

• Restructure Self Defense Force (SDF) to better meet security challenges in the southwest

  
  

  (East China Sea, Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands)

  
  

• Pursue closer operational, strategic, and institutional integration of the SDF with US armed

  
  

  forces

North Korea not giving up on reunifying Korea under its rule; Kim Il Sung fighting Japanese forces (Kwantong army) in Manchuria; even now descendants fight each other (North Korea and Japan having SOUR SOUR relations!! SWORN ENEMIES!

negotiate division of Korean Peninsula, so Soviets if they wanted to would sphere of influence in Northern part of peninsula, and Americans having some presence in South, to protect Japan

• Korea as a buffer to shield Japan in US interests

"People's Committees" (allowing ordinary people to have a say in their governance) to Americans sounds like 'communism"; foreign concept to them;

• Korean people want socialism to be state's economic system

US Statement Political Advisor H. Merrell Benninghoff: Korean could go down socialist route (People's Committees), but are encouraging signs of pro-US presence of several hundreds conservatives, bandwagon with US against socialists + nationalists

South Korean government under Syngman Rhee signs a Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States as soon as an armistice is signed with North Korea on July 27, 1953;
- FORMALIZE hierarchical relationship b/w US and S. Korea as a security patron and security client

US chose a bilateral mode of alliance-making in East Asia to maximize its power over allies; interact with US 1-1, but did few exchanges in military sphere among American-Asian allies

The US-ROK alliance sought to constrain aggressive leaders like Syngman Rhee who might embroil the United States in unwanted regional wars that could escalate to a world war

- ONCE AGAIN LOOKING AT US INTERSETS, NOT OF ASIA!

When North Korean targets missiles, looks at Camp Humphreys (Pyeongtaek)...; nearly 1000 tests have been conducted, since 2011;

• ballistic missile defense

Recent issues in Alliance

• Nuclear sharing?
  -- If ROK has nuclear weapons, w/o wartime operational control, its in hands of US to decide how to use it...; NEED WARTIME OP CON BACK, then see what can happen
• Talk of nuclear weapons is mostly a 'ploy' to let N. Korea know what's up, but mostly talk
• ECONOMY! US Inflation Reduction Act (Re-shoring, friend-shoring American productive capacity back, and not relying on adversaries like China) and pressures on South Korean manufacturers and exporters to navigate problems caused by their position in the global supply chain of key technical products
  -- South Korea exports lots to China, e.g. building electronic vehicles for cars, components from China... Americans doesn't want that, want S.Koreans to export them to US