Koizumi’s Gamble and its Impact on the US-Japan Alliance

In this analysis, which originally appeared in the Pacific Form CSIS’s publication Pacnet Newsletter, Tatsumi argues that Koizumi’s political gamble, signified by the dissolution of the Lower House, will have profound implications for Japanese politics and for the US-Japan alliance. While many in the United States will welcome the turmoil as necessary for Japan to become a nation with a more timely decision-making process and greater transparency, she points out, it also should be noted that foreign policy issues, including those important for the long-term health of the US-Japan alliance, will be shelved during this period.

http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/pac0536a.pdf

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