When it comes to America’s strategic relationship with Japan, Kenneth Weinstein sees challenges, some real and others largely perceived.
In the perceived category, Weinstein, Japan chair at the Hudson Institute, includes the question of whether the U.S. can be relied upon as an ally for Japan and others in the Indo-Pacific. He thinks the answer is an unequivocal yes. He’s skeptical of the idea that the U.S. has lost interest in the region.
The real challenge, he believes, is whether Tokyo and Washington can build a more integrated form of deterrence against China — one that doesn’t limit itself to security concerns.
“It’s about whether the region, at the end of the day, has alternatives to Chinese pressure both militarily but also in the economic realm,” said Weinstein.
Weinstein primarily focused on the economic side of deterrence during a recent seminar through the U.S.-Japan relations program at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, detailing the importance of alliances between the U.S., Japan, and the wider Indo-Pacific.
