On The Japan-us Alliance And Regional Security In Southeast Asia

The Japan-U.S. Alliance is one of the most important bilateral security alliances around the world. It was aimed at containing so-called communist aggression during the Cold War. With the end of the Cold War, the Japan-U.S. Alliance was suspected, but soon it is strengthened and become the most important factor that influences the peripheral security of China. And Southeast Asia, which is adjacent to China, is becoming more and more influential to the peripheral security of China.This thesis probes into the connection between Japan-U.S. Alliance and Southeast Asian security, discusses the exterior influence of Japan-U.S. Alliance while takes Southeast Asia as a whole for example. What mainly at issue here are: How Japan-U.S. Alliance interferes into Southeast Asian security affairs at each stage; What similarities and dissimilarities between Japan and U.S. exist while they interfere into Southeast Asian security affairs under alliance system; which role it is playing in regional hot issues and the relevant influence on the security of China; Why Japan-U.S. Alliance attaches importance to Southeast Asia; What is the view of Southeast Asian states towards Japan-U.S. Alliance.Chapter one makes an introduction of how Japan-U.S. Alliance interfered into Southeast Asian security affairs during the Cold War, so as to make preparation for following chapters and introduce the background to the readers. The foundation and early development of Japan-U.S. Alliance was closely connected with Southeast Asia. While U.S. was trapped in the Vietnam War, Japan supported it in containing so-called communist aggression through"Economic Diplomacy"towards Southeast Asia. The U.S. began to shrink its forces in Southeast Asia because of its defeat in Vietnam War, but Japan interfered into Southeast Asian security affairs more and more actively since the"Fukuda Doctrine"was announced in 1977.Chapter two introduces how Japan-U.S. Alliance interferes into Southeast Asian security affairs after the Cold War, and compares the similarities and dissimilarities between the two stages when it was in"drift"and after it was"redefined". When Japan-U.S. Alliance was in"drift", the two states competed violently in Southeast Asia, but at the same time they also cooperated in some areas. The U.S. military forces withdrew from Southeast Asia because of losing model enemy, while Japan interfered more deeply into Southeast Asian security affairs in order to become a"political power". In the middle of 1990s, the Japan-U.S. Alliance was"redefined", which results in strengthening the influence of this alliance on Southeast Asian security. This thesis will study the issue from three aspects: the enlargement of the area of Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation; the co-ordination between Japan-U.S. Alliance and Southeast Asian security system of U.S.; the balance between U.S. and Japan while Japan-U.S. Alliance interferes in Southeast Asian security affairs.Chapter three studies three hot issues of Southeast Asia: the South China Sea dispute, the issue on Southeast Asian Sea Lanes and anti-terrorism, in order to analyze which role Japan-U.S. Alliance is playing and to what extent it influences Southeast Asian security specifically. The direct exhibition of connection between Japan-U.S. Alliance and Southeast Asian security can be observed exactly in those regional hot issues.Chapter four uses international political theories to analyze more systematically about the main variable factors when Japan-U.S. Alliance interferes into Southeast Asian security affairs, which can be summarized to three aspects: the state interests of Japan and U.S. in Southeast Asia, the view of Southeast Asian states towards Japan-U.S. Alliance and the regional security mechanisms in Southeast Asia. We can comprehend more profoundly and theorically about the influence of Japan-U.S. Alliance on Southeast Asian security.The final chapter put forward some proposals for China when Japan-U.S. Alliance is interfering into Southeast Asian security affairs more and more actively.