Current Institutional Affiliation
Professor Emeritus, Waseda University

Past positions include: Advisor for Nippon Foundation, Professor of Waseda University (Korea studies ), Seoul & Washington, DC correspondent of the Mainichi Newspapers, Journalism Fellow of Stanford University

Award Information

Abe Fellowship 1999
Institutional Affiliation (at time of award):
Editorial Writer, Mainichi Shimbun
The US-Japan-Republic of Korea Strategic Alliance: Searching for Common Values and Strengthening Trust Measures in Response to North Korea's Threat

The purpose of this research is to propose a new strategic alliance frame for the US-Japan-Republic of Korea (ROK). Under the cold war frame, the United Sates and Japan alliance shared anti-communism and the containment policy. The alliance between the United Sates and the Republic of Korea also has employed the containment policy against a communist regime, specifically, North Korea. Anti-communism was a prominent and dominant discourse during the cold war frame. However, anti-communism is no longer compatible in the post-cold war frame. The post-cold war frame has to be based on two inter-related components: sharing of "common values" and using "common values" as foundation for strengthening "trust" measures among the United States, Japan, and ROK. I propose that the US-Japan-ROK have to establish a triangular alliance relationship in response to North Korea's military challenge at present and in preparation for potential unification of two Koreas in the future.

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