U.S.-Japan Alliance

 The U.S.-Japan alliance has been in existence for half a century, but perhaps this alliance has never been as important as it is today. Against the backdrop of U.S. rebalancing its pivot to Asia and Japan's relative decline in the region, the U.S. and Japan do need each other more than ever. A joint document issued by both countries' leaders during Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's visit to the U.S. is titled: A shared vision for the future.

Prime Minister Noda's visit to the U.S. not only helped to bolster their alliance, but also alleviated an irritant that had troubled Japan-U.S. relations for a long time. In a plan agreed by both sides, the U.S. will relocate 9000 marines stationed in Okinawa to other places like the Guan. Although ten thousand U.S. marines are there to stay, it marked a big step forward in the sticky U.S.-Japan negotiation over the relocations of the U.S. marines.

So what can Japan and U.S. benefit from a stronger alliance? And how have Japan's revolving door politics shaped Japan's U.S. policies?