Armitage Strengthened Japan-U.S. Alliance; Late Statesman Saw Great Potential of Bilateral Ties

Yomiuri Shimbun

4 days ago

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
In 2018, Armitage attended the Yomiuri International Economic Society (YIES) hosted by the Yomiuri Shimbun in Tokyo. Armitage had been a contributor to The Yomiuri Shimbun's 'Insights into the World' column since 2005.
This spring, Japan and the Japan-U.S. alliance lost a pillar of support when former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage passed away on April 13 at age 79. He was literally and figuratively a man of great stature, whose distinctive voice and warm but blunt speech were not only known and respected by Japanese politicians and diplomats, but also widely recognized by the Japanese public.
How did Armitage become so well-known in Japan? The story is closely intertwined with the history of Japan's postwar security transition, which began in earnest in the early 1990s.
During the 1991 Gulf War, the United States formed a multinational force to contain Iraq after it invaded Kuwait. Then U.S. President George H.W. Bush asked U.S. allies, including Japan, to contribute militarily to the war. However, Japan turned down Washington's request, due to the restrictions in Article 9 of its Constitution. Japan had never dispatched Self-Defense Forces troops overseas up to that point. Instead of sending troops, Japan spent $13 billion to assist the United States, but the decision was criticized by the U.S. Congress and public as 'too little, too late.' In Japan, this traumatic episode is still widely remembered.
What exactly is Article 9, and how did it become a hindrance to the Japan-U.S. alliance? Article 9 codifies the pacifism proclaimed in Japan's Constitution. The article renounces the threat of force, the use of force and 'war as a sovereign right of the nation.' It also rules out recognizing the 'right of belligerency of the state.'
This unique Constitution, which states that 'land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained,' reflects the history of World War II. Japan and the United States were once enemies fighting across the Pacific Ocean, beginning with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. After its defeat, Japan accepted the current Constitution, formulated under the leadership of GHQ led by U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
The reason why the Constitution restricts the use of force and does not permit the possession of armed forces is that it was intended to dismantle Japan's Imperial military, which had attacked the United States and invaded other countries during World War II, and to prevent future military re-expansion by Japan. In 1990, before the Gulf War, Maj. Gen. Henry Stackpole III, then commander of U.S. Marine Corps bases in Japan, told the U.S. media, 'No one wants a rearmed, resurgent Japan,' and referred to the U.S. military presence in Japan as 'a cap in the bottle.' Although this was Stackpole's personal view, there was a sense of caution toward Japan's military rise.
Japan's Self-Defense Forces are considered a military force under international law, even though the Constitution does not mention the existence of the Self-Defense Forces. Strong criticism from the United States opened Japan's eyes. In 1992, Japan passed the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations Cooperation Law to provide the legal basis for the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces overseas.
Akihisa Nagashima knew Armitage for three decades. Nagashima, a House of Representatives member currently serving as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, said Armitage's most important achievement 'is that he has clearly laid out and frankly told Japan what Japan's security role should be, based on his trust in Japan.' Nagashima emphasized, 'Mr. Armitage has put an end to the 'bottle cap theory' that was based on distrust toward Japan.'
How did Armitage do it? The most well-known episode occurred after the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. At the time, Armitage was a deputy secretary of state. Prior to the U.S. retaliatory attack on Afghanistan, Armitage met then Japanese Ambassador to the United States Shunji Yanai. According to a report in The Yomiuri Shimbun at the time, Armitage told Yanai that the American people were watching closely to see how their ally would cooperate with them. As a friend of Japan, he said, he felt it needed to avoid making an issue over its cooperation with the United States as it did during the Gulf War.
Armitage understood that Japan's direct contribution would be limited due to the Constitution, but he emphasized that logistical support was possible. He encouraged Japan to show willingness and make the decision voluntarily.
Precisely as Nagashima pointed out, Armitage offered clear and straightforward advice to Japan as a friend. Sept. 11 was the first direct attack on the U.S. homeland since World War II, and the tragic event reminded Americans of 1941. Armitage probably knew at the time that Japan's decision would affect the Japan-U.S. relationship.
Then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi acted quickly on Armitage's advice. The prime minister immediately flew to Washington and met with then U.S. President George W. Bush and informed him that the Self-Defense Forces would provide logistical support for U.S. military operations. Yanai later recalled that at the beginning of the summit, Koizumi showed solidarity by telling Bush, 'We stand by you.' Koizumi and Bush established a close relationship, and the Japan-U.S. alliance deepened in their era.
Armitage also encouraged Japan to think and act independently. In 2003, the United States decided to attack Iraq. Seiji Maehara, who later served as foreign minister in a Democratic Party of Japan administration, met then Deputy Secretary of State Armitage in Washington right before the attack on Iraq. Maehara, a pragmatic politician who had a good understanding of foreign policy, expressed his opposition to the attack.
According to Maehara, Armitage came close to him and said: 'Mr. Maehara. If North Korea launches missiles at Japan while you are defense minister, how would you respond?' Japan could not counterattack due to constitutional restrictions at that time. Maehara was aware of the constraints of the Constitution and got frustrated. He replied, 'We will do what we can do, and we will ask the U.S. for assistance based on the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.' Armitage nodded and said: 'That's right. Don't worry. We will treat any attack on Japan as an attack on us and respond.'
Recalling the encounter years later, Maehara stated, 'Unfortunately, I had to accept what he implied.' Armitage did not say much, but he made us understand what allies were supposed to do for each other. Maehara has declared, 'That is why I am striving to 'protect my country' by myself.'
'Show the flag.' 'Boots on the ground.' These are the words that Armitage was reported to have said to the Japanese side during these crises. Although these are now not believed to be his exact words, these phrases served as a wakeup call for the Japanese people to think about the future of their country.
While Armitage made many contributions to the Japan-U.S. alliance during his decades of service in the U.S. government, his most significant accomplishments may be from his time outside of government. Particularly notable was a series of six reports on strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance that he published with Harvard University Prof. Joseph Nye from 2000 to 2024. The first report was prescient. The two giants of the Japan-U.S. alliance wrote that Japan-U.S. security cooperation would be 'closer and more efficient' if the ban on Japan's exercise of its right to collective self-defense were lifted. The 2006 report called for a change in the interpretation of collective self-defense under the Japanese Constitution.
After Shinzo Abe returned to power as prime minister in 2012, he pushed through a change in the interpretation of the Constitution regarding collective self-defense, expanding the scope of activities that Japan's Self-Defense Forces can carry out as an ally of the United States. In doing so, Abe responded to a question Armitage had provocatively raised in one of the reports, asking whether Japan would become a tier-two nation.
An expert on U.S. strategy in Asia, Zach Cooper, who worked closely with Armitage, said: 'Ambassador Armitage believed deeply that the United States should be a force for good in the world, and that we could have the most impact by working closely with key allies and partners. He approached almost every issue through the lens of honesty and directness with both friends and adversaries.
He was also a legendary hero of the Vietnam War. Armitage saved the lives of many Vietnamese refugees and adopted Vietnamese orphans as foster children. Cooper emphasized: 'My strongest impressions [of him] were his deep commitment to family and his willingness to say and do things that were unpopular because they were right. I think that it's best exemplified by his actions in the last days of the Vietnam War, in which he played a major role in saving 30,000 South Vietnamese despite not having instructions or authority to do so. It was just the right thing to do, so he did it.'
A celebration of Armitage's life was held at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on May 29. Former Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato described Armitage as 'the greatest and most skilled craftsman in the history of the U.S.-Japan alliance,' while Captain Kiem Do, a former officer in the South Vietnamese Navy who worked with Armitage to save Vietnamese lives, reflected, 'He did save us.'
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Randall Shriver, who was a close partner of Armitage, has also spoken about him. Shriver stresses, 'He believed Japan was already our most important ally, and yet he saw even more potential as the alliance modernized and benefited from greater investment in both sides.'
In the current time of turmoil caused by the America First policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, the United States may appear to some to be moving away from being the force for good in the way that Armitage believed it ought to be. Armitage believed in the power of alliances and publicly opposed Donald Trump becoming a president. It was amid the latest uncertainty created by Trump 2.0 that Armitage passed away, with Nye following in May. Alliance advocates are currently quiet in Washington.
Japan and other U.S. allies have lost a major supporter. But let's not forget that Armitage wanted us to think and act on our own, as he himself did when he launched an operation that saved many civilian lives in Vietnam. Following Armitage's passing, Japan must set its own course and navigate its own ship in this turbulent era.
Political Pulse appears every Saturday.
Yuko Mukai
Yuko Mukai is a Washington correspondent of The Yomiuri Shimbun.