By Stephen Stapczynski
The treaty gives the US benefits within the Asia-Pacific region that far outweigh the costs.
It now looks inevitable that in the next few years Japan will be lifting its ban on collective self-defense. Some believe that this would be good for the United States, because it would allow Japan to “pick up the slack” in the U.S.-Japan security alliance (formally, the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation between the United States and Japan). There is a perception – largely among libertarians – that the U.S.-Japan alliance is unfair, and that the Japanese government is freeloading off the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. Because American troops can engage in combat, and Japanese troops can’t, U.S. commentators contend that the treaty is inherently one-sided. But this is far from the truth. In fact, the U.S.-Japan security alliance has real significance for the role of the U.S. military in East Asia.
For one thing, the treaty allows the U.S. military to station its troops and dock its ships in Japan, making up the cornerstone of U.S. defense strategy in East Asia. Japan provides space and facilities for more than 50,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel, and pays the U.S. about $2 billion per year to offset the costs. These bases enable U.S. forces to be active in the Asia-Pacific, and can act as a launching point for places as far away as the Persian Gulf. The U.S. military presence in Japan is larger than is needed to defend Japan; it enables the U.S. to defend other U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific.
Read the full story at The Diplomat