Page 188 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

The Meaning of Camp David

I have been studying relations between and among these three
key allies in Northeast Asia for decades. My first book, in
fact, was on the trilateral relations between Japan, Korea, and
the United States and how invaluable this was to U.S. strategic
interests.

During the Cold War, the United States saw the individual
bilateral alliances with Korea and Japan as a strategic, trilateral
whole when it came to defense and deterrence. The United
States used Japan as a rear support for the war in Korea. After
the Korean War and throughout the Cold War, the United
States had troops deployed in both countries and the “Korea
Clause” of the 1969 Nixon-Sato Joint Communique and
Okinawa Reversion Plan affirmed the role that Japan would
play in Korean defense. At the time, there was less concern
about power projection capabilities into the Indo-Pacific from
China (and of course, there was the war in Southeast Asia);
instead, the trilateral focus was on deterring a second North
Korean invasion.

In the post-Cold War era, Washington saw the trilateral
relationship in a broader military and strategic context. It was
an institution that could promote regional stability, and also
promote democracy, economic prosperity, and support of the
liberal international order in a region of the world that did not
yet readily accept such values.

Today, the trilateral relationship has expanded in terms of
capabilities and responsibilities beyond anyone’s imagination.

188 Section III : South Korea-Japan-U.S. Cooperation: How to Deter Pyongyang and Dissuade Beijing