The future of deterrence and the US Marines on Okinawa

The US-Japan alliance established over seventy years ago is typically described by leaders on both sides as the ‘cornerstone of peace and security in East Asia.’ While China and North Korea may not share this positive view of the impact of the alliance on the region, the fact is that few alliances in modern international relations rival the US-Japan one in terms of durability, integration and influence. Under the terms of the US-Japan Security Treaty, the US pledges to defend Japan and in return Japan hosts a number of US military bases. Some, like Yokosuka Naval Base, are located on the so-called ‘home islands’ – the four large islands which comprise most of the land area, as well as the historic homeland, of the Japanese nation. However, the bulk of the US military bases are to be found some 1,500 kilometres southwest of Tokyo on Okinawa Island, former centre of the Ryukyuan Kingdom. Okinawa is not just remote from Tokyo, but importantly it is close to China – and even closer to Taiwan.