Since the end of World War II, the U.S.-Japanese alliance has ensured peace in Asia by allowing for the forward basing of American troops and fostering cooperation on a wide array of security issues. But the threats posed by aggressive authoritarianism in China and North Korea, territorial disputes, nationalist passions, and a burgeoning arms race threaten to transform the region and pose vital challenges to the U.S.-Japanese partnership.

In a new report entitled Securing Freedom: The U.S.-Japanese Alliance in a New Era, AEI's Michael Auslin and Christopher Griffin, defense policy adviser to Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-D-Conn.), demonstrate that the United States and Japan should reorient their alliance to support political and economic liberalization. These reforms would in turn create bulwarks against authoritarian expansion and ensure that democracy, free markets, and transparent security policies become the animating principles of politics in Asia. Central to achieving this goal is enhancing bilateral military cooperation, including joint operations in four fields: missile defense, air superiority, maritime security, and strike operations. Following a presentation by the coauthors of the report, Richard Lawless, former deputy under secretary of defense for Asia-Pacific affairs; Sak Sakoda, former country director for Japan, Asian and Pacific affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; and Lieutenant General Bruce Wright, former commander of U.S. Forces Japan, will comment.