Session: Session 2
Date/Time: April 24, 2018 / 16:30-18:00

Moderator:
Martin Fackler, The New York Times

Speakers:
Michael J. Green, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Nishino Junya, Keio University
Park Cheol Hee, Seoul National University
T.J. Pempel, University of California, Berkeley
Yamaguchi Noboru, International University of Japan

Panel Description
The U.S.-Japan alliance has been a pillar of the post-World War II LIO, despite the ups and downs. Today, the alliance is being tested once again. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first foreign leader to meet with President Trump after the latter won the 2016 election. Since then, U.S.-Japan relations have proven resilient during a time in which America’s commitment to its allies has been under fire by President Trump himself. But as regional tensions rise over North Korea’s nuclear provocations and territorial disputes with China, the U.S.-Japan alliance will be increasingly tested. At the same time, Japan will have to face increasingly protectionist policies from Washington while pursuing its own strategy to continue to revitalize its economy. What are the challenges and opportunities facing the US-Japan alliance? How will the alliance, hitherto a major pillar of the LIO, evolve?