On The Trend Of US - Japan Alliance From The Perspective Of Alliance

This thesis seeks to explore fundamental factors to maintain the US-Japanalliance on the basis of the theory of alliance and containment America imposed onJapan under the framework of alliance. The containment that America imposed onJapan is in parallel with the establishment and development of US-Japan alliance.Especially in the1980s, Japan’s economy was chasing that of America and Japan waseager to be a great power in the world. Consequently, Japan threatened America interms of defense and economy. On September22,1985, America mustered5allies,including Japan to sign the Plaza Accord which led the bubble era of Japan’s economy.After the bursting of bubbles, from September1991, Japan’s economy plump intostagnation and recession which lasted for20years. The setbacks that Japan faced wascaused by America directly and indirectly and the road to great power was alsosuspended.The study of the development tendency of the US-Japan alliance andcontainment America imposed on Japan under the framework of alliance will providea new thinking pattern for the theory of alliance and will provide enlightenment forpolicy making. It is a good case to study how America contained Japan under thecircumstances that Japan challenged America’s economy supremacy in the late1980s.By means of the study of the policies that America implemented to contain Japan, itwould help to understand the US-Japan alliance and make predictions on the future ofthe US-Japan alliance. Containment America imposed on Japan under the frameworkof alliance will provide a new angle to understand the alliance related with China’sinterests.There are three parts in this thesis. In the first part, it will give a briefintroduction on theory of alliance. Chapter2will testify that the aim for alliance is tocontain the external threats and the leading country will contain others in the alliance.The third chapter will analyze the containment factors America imposed on Japanunder the framework of alliance and Japan’s anti-containment factors and willelaborate on that containment America imposed on Japan under the framework ofalliance on the basis ofAmerica’s containment on Japan’s economy.