U.S. Involvement in Sino-Japanese Relations

Abstract

As the world continues to follow up on the world’s first and second most largest economies, the U.S. and China, what often goes unnoticed is the inextricable ties that China shares with Japan, and how the U.S. might play a role in that relationship. As each independent state interact with another continuously, this article thus looks at two of the main current disputes between China and Japan, and what role the U.S. has played in those disputes. First is the Senkaku-Diaoyudao land dispute between China and Japan, where the U.S. military and government has played both a historical and modern role in. Another is China’s growing relationship with Russia, which poses a historical threat to Japan. In the context of the Russian-Ukrainian War, Sino-Russian relations become increasingly relevant in this article. The outcome of this war may well determine the uncertain future of Sino-Russian relationships, and how that may allow the U.S. to partake in the dispute between China and Japan regarding such a ties between China and Russia. It is evaluated that in these cases, the U.S. with its identity as the global hegemon in mind, does not fulfill the “peacemaker” role that it is responsible for and sides with one state over the over. As an alternative, the article offers methods in which the U.S. can effectively involve itself in those disputes to offer greater stability.