Research@RSIS Newsletter Feedback Form
US-Japan Alliance Activities in Southeast Asia
Mr John Bradford Adjunct Senior Fellow
Mr John Bradford
1
The US-Japan Alliance is often referred to as the lynchpin of East Asian security. This Alliance is intensely maritime in nature. Japan hosts the US 7th Fleet in the ports of Sasebo and Yokosuka. The highly-capable Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) operates hand-in-glove with these forward deployed US forces. However, for much of its history, these Navies have focused their cooperation in Northeast Asia. In the Cold War, they sought to contain the Soviet forces operating from the Russian Far East. More recently, they have been focused on responding to PRC activities in the East China Sea. However, the 7th Fleet and JMSDF are increasing cooperation in Southeast Asia. Bilateral exercises have become frequent in the South China and Japan is increasingly participating in US-sponsored exercises and events such as Balikatan, Cobra Gold, and CARAT. This paper explores the scope, strategic intent, and likely future development of these activities in Southeast Asia.
| Theme: | General / Country and Region Studies / Non-Traditional Security / Regionalism and Multilateralism |
| Region: | East Asia and Asia Pacific / Southeast Asia and ASEAN |
| Entity: | IDSS |
