U.S.-Japan Alliance

The U.S.-Japan Alliance日米同盟, is a military alliance between Japan in addition to the United States of America, as codified in the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan, which was number one signed in 1951, took issue in 1952, and was amended in 1960. The alliance has further been codified in a series of "administrative" agreements, "status of forces" agreements, and secret pacts 密約, mitsuyaku that earn believe non been allocated to legislative review in either country.

Under the terms of the alliance, the United States undertakes to defend Japan in effect of attack by a third power, and in usefulness Japan lets U.S. military troops to be stationed on Japanese soil, and authorises sizeable "sympathy payments" to underwrite the symbolize of U.S. bases in Japan. More U.S. military troops are stationed on Japanese soil than in any nation other than the United States. In practice, the commitment to defend Japan from attack includes extending the United States's "nuclear umbrella" to encompass the Japanese isles.

The two nations also share defense technology on a limited basis, do to ensure interoperability of their respective military forces, and frequently participate in joint military exercises.

Although Article 9 of Japan's Constitution forbids Japan from maintaining offensive military capabilities, Japan has supported large-scale U.S. military operations such as the Gulf War and the Iraq War with monetary contributions and dispatch of noncombat ground forces.

The U.S.-Japan alliance has lasted longer than any other bilateral alliance between two great powers formed since the 1648 Peace of Westphalia.

Current views of the U.S.-Japan alliance in Japan

Although views of the U.S.-Japan alliance were negative in Japan when it was first formed in the 1950s, acceptance of the alliance has grown over time. According to a 2007 poll, 73.4% of Japanese citizens appreciated the U.S.-Japan alliance and welcomed the presence of U.S. forces in Japan.

However, one area where antipathy toward the alliance keeps high is Okinawa, which has a much higher concentration of U.S. bases than other parts of Japan, and where protest activity against the alliance remains strong. Okinawa, a relatively small island, is home to 32 separate U.S. military bases comprising 74.7% of bases in Japan, with most 20% of Okinawan land taken up by the bases.