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In 1960, the United States and Japan
signed a revised Treaty of Mutual
Cooperation and Security pledging both
countries to resist armed attack on
territories under Japanese administration.
2010 MARKS THE 50TH
ANNIVERSARY of the treaty, an
opportune time for both nations to take a
hard look at the accord in light of political
and economic developments in East Asia
since its signing. e treaty positioned
Japan as the linchpin for security in the
region, but it’s no longer clear the
agreement fulfills this vision. Carolyn
Leddy ’98 spent the past year in Tokyo
researching this critical and delicate balance
of power as a Council on Foreign
Relations/Hitachi Ltd. research fellow.
Carolyn focused on the impact of u.S.
extended deterrence — America’s
commitment to use all means of military
power, including nuclear weapons, to
protect Japan from an adversary — on
Japan’s defense posture. Her analysis
examines how the rise of Chinese military
capabilities and the nuclear and ballistic
threat posed by North Korea influence
Japanese strategic thinking. In her view,
Japan lacks a coherent national security
policy reflecting the present-day strategic
reality.
When the treaty was signed, it was
understood that Japan would not assist any
u. S. territories should the occasion arise,
because its constitution forbids waging war
overseas. e treaty has allowed the u.S. to
provide an international security presence
in East Asia, an area in which nuclear,
ballistic and armed forces threats have been
anything but stable. However, Carolyn
suggests that Tokyo take greater
responsibility for regional and international
security. She believes Japan must begin this
process at home by removing political
constraints that hamper its ability to craft a
genuine national security policy.
“If u.S. naval vessels were engaged in
training operations in international waters
off the coast of Japan and came under
attack from North Korea, Japan could not
come to the aid of the u.S.,” she wrote
recently in the Wall Street Journal. “A
similar constitutional interpretation also
prohibits Japan from acting to intercept a
North Korean ballistic missile headed for
the u.S.” Carolyn says it’s been a bumpy
year for the u.S.-Japan alliance, and she
hopes that she has contributed to the
dialogue on the future role of international
security between the two countries in a
constructive way.
Carolyn’s strong interest in
international politics grew from her junior
year abroad in the Czech Republic. An
internship at the u.S. Embassy in Prague
gave her an opportunity to see firsthand the
ups and downs of implementing a
democratic system. Carolyn pursued her
interests in graduate school at Columbia
J a P a N
Capital
Tokyo
Largest city
Tokyo
Official language(s)
None
Government
Constitutional monarchy
Area
145,925 sq mi
Population
2010 estimate
127,420,000
GDP (PPP)
2009 estimate
$4.267 trillion
Per capita$33,478
Drives on the left
F E A T U R E S T O R Y
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