The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and the Pacific Forum were pleased and honored to again co-host the 18th annual Japan-US Security Seminar on March 23-24, 2012. A year has passed since our last meeting, which took place just weeks after the triple catastrophe of March 11, 2011. It has been a trying time for Japan and for our alliance, but the extraordinary resilience of the Japanese and the speedy and resolute response of the two countries, in Operation Tomodachi, confirmed what participants at this seminar have long believed: the US is a dedicated and committed partner, and the bilateral alliance is a vital contributor to the two countries’ national security – sometimes in ways that we don’t anticipate. March 11 offered our two nations a chance to validate our alliance and they rose to the challenge.

Read Japanese version>>