HKS Authors

See citation below for complete author information.

Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus

Abstract

Japan is going through a period of uncertainty and realignment in its domestic politics. An election is expected before September, and current public opinion polls suggest that the long ruling Liberal Democratic Party may be replaced. The opposition Democratic Party of Japan has expressed skeptical positions about a number of measures that the current government has proposed to reinforce the Japan-U.S. security alliance. In addition, North Korea's detonation of a second nuclear device and launching of rockets over Japan has created anxieties that lead some observers to wonder whether Japan will reverse its long standing decision not to seek a national nuclear deterrent capability.

Citation

Nye, Jr., Joseph S. Joseph Nye's Testimony from Hearings on 'Japan's Changing Role'. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives (June 25, 2009).