U.S. GLOBAL POSTURE REVIEW AND THE JAPAN-U.S. NEGOTIATIONS OVER THE REALIGNMENT OF U.S. FORCES IN JAPAN
U.S. GLOBAL POSTURE REVIEW AND THE JAPAN-U.S. NEGOTIATIONS OVER THE REALIGNMENT OF U.S. FORCES IN JAPAN

Summary/Abstract: Since the summer of 2003, many news articles have reported the negotiations between Japan and the U.S. over the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan. This situation is not limited only to Japan. This realignment is part of a worldwide realignment of U.S. forces. The Bush administration declared to review the posture of the forward deployment forces in the Quadrennial Defense Review Report in 2001. This policy is called the Global Posture Review (GPR). The present posture of the forward deployed U.S. forces is a legacy of the Cold War that was arranged for competing with the Soviet threat, although the number of the forward deployed forces was reduced considerably.1 Given the changes of the strategic environment since the end of the Cold War, it is natural for the U.S. to review its posture. U.S. forces in Japan cannot be an exception. This article first describes the current posture of U.S. forces in Japan, then explains the objectives of the realignment of U.S. forces, and finally examines the trend and the agendas of the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.

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