The purpose of my research is to see what Post-Cold War frameworks for political dialogue are possible for the East Asia-Pacific region in addition to the traditional bilateral security pacts with the United States and sub-regional security arrangements, and to explore the respective roles of Japan and the United States in the overall scheme. Japan, whose Constitution bans "the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes," ought to keep its defense policy strictly with in the confines of pure self-defense and seek to establish its identity as a non-military power that is also a truly responsible and "caring" member of the global community.