The conference will examine the changes in Japanese foreign policy toward the USA and its strategies following the end of the Cold War and broach issues related to “global governance” that can no longer be solved by individual sovereign nations, but which at the same time gain increasingly in significance in an ever more complex world, such as, for example, dealing with international corruption, or global issues related to environmental policies, human rights, etc.
Participants of the conference will discuss individual important aspects of Japan-US relations by way of examples, and by using case studies they will be compared with the foreign policy of Germany or Great Britain (as the most important European ally of the USA). Questions will then be raised whether the Japanese foreign policy strategies directed toward the USA are similar to those of the European ally, or whether we can identify a separate Japanese path, and if yes, how we can explain them.