Throughout the history of American-Japanese relations, the United States has thought of itself as being superior to Japan.  This began with the initial interactions between the two nations, when Japan looked to learn from the United States and implemented many of the technologies the country had developed.  It is this that allowed for Americans to believe that Japan’s proper place was as their mentee, with Americans teaching the Japanese what to do.  Depictions of Japan, when they remain in their proper place, show them as non-threatening, feminine, and childlike.  However, in the 1930s and into the 1940s, when Japan implemented expansionist policies, depictions quickly shifted as the nation left its proper place.  Rather than being depicted as the United State’s mentee, the Japanese were shown as insects, apes, or extremely exaggerated versions of themselves.  Yet, with the American occupation of Japan following its loss during the Second World War, the Japanese returned to the place that America had deemed fit for them.  Throughout this period of time, they were no longer viewed as threatening.  This changed when the Japanese once again attempted to dominate within a sphere that the United States did not deem fit for them.  As long as the Japanese remain in what America believes to be their proper place, American depictions and descriptions of them are kind, showing them as a non-threatening being.  However, when they leave, this shifts, showing Japan and its people as a threatening entity that Americans should fear.

Since the crash of Japan’s economy, depictions of the Japanese in the US media have remained positive.  After almost eighty years following the end of the Second World War, the United States continues to protect the Japanese.  The United States Forces Japan, also known as the USFJ, was established in 1957 and “conducts operations, activities, and actions within Japan to support U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.  The U.S.–Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, prosperity, and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region. USFJ manages the U.S.–Japan Alliance and is the focal point for planning, coordinating, and supporting U.S. defense issues in Japan.” ^[1]  According to their website, the United States Forces Japan claims that their presence within the nation is intended to “maintain a lethal posture and readiness to support regional operations in steady-state, crisis, and contingency and that bilateral mechanisms between the United States and Japan provide the ability to coordinate and synchronize actions in support of the U.S. – Japan Alliance.” ^[2]  Currently, there are over 50,000 American troops stationed in Japan.

As long as Japan remains in its proper place, we may assume that depictions and descriptions of the nation and its people will be positive.  Still, the amount the United States spends on defending the nation is not without criticism.  Japan worried when President Trump was elected president in 2016.  The “America First” policy he ran on seemed to challenge key pillars of the U.S.-Japan relationship.  Perhaps as a result of this, according to Forbes, “no world leader was quicker in getting to Trump Tower in New York to congratulate the U.S. president-elect on a victory few saw coming [than Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe].  Nine days after Trump’s shock win, there was Abe on Nov. 17, reassuring a fearful world not to worry, he’d be a “trustworthy leader.” ^[3]  Throughout the span of Trump’s four years in office, Shinzo Abe golfed with Trump three times, visited Mar-a-Lago twice, gifted Donald Trump a golf club worth almost $3,800, attended former-First Lady Melania Trump’s birthday dinner, and, according to Trump, nominated him for a Nobel Prize.  Throughout their time in office, the two leaders had 10 personal meetings and spoke on 30 other occasions.^[4]  That certainly is a lot of attention given to an individual who stated that “if we’re attacked, they [Japan and South Korea] do not have to come to our defense, if they’re attacked, we have to come totally to their defense. And…that’s a real problem.” ^[5]

Unlike the case 100 years ago, Japan now finds itself fighting for dominance against another growing power in Asia: the People’s Republic of China.  The threat that China poses, paired with North Korea, has placed Japan in a precarious geographical position, and that position is more easily maintained with the support of the United States.  CNN wrote that Japan is in “an increasingly volatile security environment–flanked by China to its south, nuclear-armed North Korea to the west and Russia to its north.  As a result, the war in Ukraine has catalyzed debates on Japan's national security like never before.” ^[6]  Earlier in May of 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that “we strongly oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force, regardless of the location.” ^[7]  Although China was not explicitly mentioned, one may assume that he was referring to it.  

As long as Japan needs help from the United States, it is expected that the dominant partner in the relationship–the United States–will oblige.  As shown, the United States has considered itself to be Japan’s teacher throughout the history of the two nation’s foreign relations.   Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed himself as subordinate to the United States.  Although Donald Trump is no longer president and Shinzo Abe is no longer prime minister, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio have maintained strong bonds, with the United States committing itself to keep Japan safe.  A recent meeting between the two, detailed on the White House’s website, stated that “a strong U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.  The two leaders committed to work closely together to address security challenges, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear and ballistic missile programs and China’s increasingly coercive behavior that runs counter to international law.  They agreed to deepen cooperation in areas such as emerging technologies, supply chain security, and clean energy.” ^[8]  As long as Japan remains in its proper place, we may assume that United States will continue to depict the Japanese as a child or mentee in need of help, rather than a vicious foe.