The year 2004 marked the 150th anniversary of the signing of the first treaty of peace and amity (Treaty of Kanagawa) between the United States and Japan - a treaty which over time has both bloomed and failed, and falls into three phases, each lasting for a period of approximately fifty years. Phase one, which began in a context of force majeure but ended positively, lasted until the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5; phase two began positively with the Treaty of Portsmouth which followed, but ended disastrously with the outbreak of the Pacific War; phase three began in 1952 with the San Francisco Peace Treaty and continues today. The author, who offers a significant Japanese view of the alliance as both a scholar and high-ranking military officer, explores the history, but also poses the question, what will be the relationship for the next fifty years. Through a close analysis of the nature of alliances, current issues and specific case studies, including the impact of a possible peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula, he concludes that for the long-term stability of the Asia Pacific region, a continuing interdependent relationship between Japan and the US is a sine qua non. Fumio Ota is a Vice Admiral (ret'd) of the Japanese Naval Defense Forces, and until recently, was Director of Japan's Defense Intelligence Headquarters.
About the Author: Vice Admiral Ota was born in Tokyo in 1948. He graduated from the Japan National Defense Academy in 1970. In the year 1993-4, he received a Master's Degree in National Resource Strategy from the US Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and also a Master's Degree in International Public Policy at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. In 2003 he was awarded his PhD at SAIS in International Relations. He served at sea for almost ten years, including command of the destroyer JDS Yugumo, and was twice destroyer division commander. Ashore, he was assigned as an exchange instructor to the US Naval Academy, 1980-82. In 1992, during his assignment, as a fellow at the National Institute for Defense Studies, he was a visiting fellow at the Center for International Security and Arms Control at Stanford University. From 1996-99, he served as Defense and Naval Attaché at the Embassy of Japan, Washington DC. From 1999 to 2001 Vice Admiral Ota was Director J4 (Logistics), Joint Staff Office, Japan National Defense Agency, during which time he received two legions of merit. Following a brief assignment in 2001 as President of the Joint Staff College, he was promoted to Director of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters until his retirement in 2005.