For the purpose of contributing to the security of Japan and the maintenance of international peace and security in the Far East, the United States of America is granted the use by its land, air and naval forces of facilities and areas in Japan.
Article 5 commits the United States to defend Japan if it is attacked by a third party. Article 6 explicitly grants the United States the right to base troops on Japanese soil, subject to a detailed "Administrative Agreement" negotiated separately.
In other words, this serves as deterrence against attacks. Japan intends to create a seamless posture and secure its peace and security by effectively utilizing the deterrence capabilities of the U.S. military together with Japan's own national defense architecture.
In April this year, the four countries participated in NATO's foreign ministerial meeting and they agreed to continue supporting Ukraine and to step up cooperation given the "global implications" of Russia's war on Ukraine. Australia, Japan and South Korea are all U.S. security allies.
The United States is an invaluable and irreplaceable partner to Japan and, indeed, our closest ally.
First, Japan is firmly allied with the United States in the Cold War against communism. Second, Japan relies on American military strength and limits its own defense forces to a minimum. Third, Japan emphasizes economic diplomacy in its world affairs.
Today, Japan is ranked fifth globally in overall military power after the United States, Russia, China and India, and its defense budget ranked sixth in the 2021 ranking of 140 countries by the Global Firepower rating site.
More U.S. military troops are stationed on Japanese soil than in any nation other than the United States. In practice, the commitment to defend Japan from attack includes extending the United States's "nuclear umbrella" to encompass the Japanese isles.
As the name “North Atlantic Treaty Organization” suggests, NATO is essentially a treaty organization for nations in the North Atlantic region. Located on the rim of the Pacific, Japan is not eligible to join NATO because of its geographical location.
China and Japan may not have fought militarily since the 1940s, but they've never stopped battling over the past. In the latest scuffle, protests directed at Japan's revisionist textbooks are roiling Beijing and other Chinese cities.
Japanese troops armed with antiship missiles can foil a Chinese landing, or fight a delaying action to render the island unusable until help arrives. Assuming the Japanese navy and air force can secure control of the waters around an island, Japanese ground troops can retake it.
Australia, Japan and South Korea are all U.S. security allies. Australia and New Zealand are part of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance that also involves Britain, Canada and the United States, while Japan and Australia are members of the “Quad” group along with the United States and India.
Bilateral Relations:
At the same time, the relationship with China is one of Japan's most important bilateral relationships, and the two countries have close economic relations, as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 9. (1) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
China currently has a much larger and stronger military than Japan. It has an active military of over 2.3 million people and a drilling reserve of another 2.3 million. All those troops are equipped with approximately 3,000 aircraft, 14,000 armored vehicles and tanks, and 714 ships.
Japan is the only country in the world to have suffered a nuclear attack. Twice. Japan acquiring nuclear weapons is unthinkable.
The United States
With a budget of $738 billion and 1,388,000 men and women in the armed forces, it boasts an awe-inspiring 6,125 nuclear weapons, 11 aircraft carriers, 68 nuclear submarines, 3,761 military aircraft, 867 attack helicopters, 6,209 tanks and 113 warships.
The two countries ended their formal state of war with the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956, but as of 2022 have not resolved this territorial dispute over ownership of the Kurils.
One of the world's oldest civilizations, Japan was able to keep its culture and history relatively intact over the centuries because mainland Japan has never been invaded by an outside force. Contrary to popular belief, the “divine wind” typhoons didn't destroy the Mongol fleets outright.
Japan and Mexico have a tradition of friendly relations; the contacts between them date back to 1609. Governor General of the Philippines Rodrigo de Vivero is shipwrecked off the coast of Onjuku, has an audience with Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.
OVERALL RISK : LOW
Generally, Japan is a very safe country to travel to, probably one of the safest. Still, never let your guard down, and be wary of pickpockets and scammers as you would in any other country.