US must rein in revisionist Abe government

Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific on Sept 2, US President Barack Obama touted the relationship between the United States and Japan over the past 70 years as a model of the power of reconciliation.

This is an overstatement, for the whole world knows the US-Japan alliance, a legacy of the Cold War, is dominated by Washington and could not possibly be seen as a good example of international relations. This is especially true at a time when global calls for the democratization of international relations are rising.

But Obama was right when he said the US-Japan relationship today is a fitting reflection of their shared interests, capabilities and values. Indeed, the trajectory of interaction between the WWII foes over the past 70 years is a model in which each takes what it needs and each uses the other for its own ends.