Diplomatic relations between the United States and Japan have always proved difficult to navigate. This unique relationship has gone through a number of stages since World War II, with the transitions between the post-war, Cold War, and post-Cold War stages characterized by slow and subtle evolution. Now, when security is challenged by new threats from terrorism and both nations are involved in an increasingly dangerous Iraq, the U.S.-Japan relationship must again adapt.
Shinzo Abe is the secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and among the most influential politicians of his generation. He has served as a member of Japan's House of Representatives since 1993, and from 2000 until September 2003 he was deputy chief cabinet secretary in the Mori and Koizumi administrations. He was instrumental in arranging Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang in September 2002 and is the chief Japanese negotiator with North Korea on the abductee issue. At this event, Mr. Abe will unveil his vision for transforming the U.S.-Japan relationship.
