Japan: Adjusting with the U.S. to the New World Order

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is headed to Japan, one week after Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force stopped refueling warships for the Afghanistan mission in the Indian Ocean. Internal debates over whether Japan's troops should continue expanding their activities dominate domestic headlines, but the country's move away from its pacifist constitution is a done deal. The refueling debate is more of a domestic political dispute, reflecting deeper strategic differences over how closely to Washington Tokyo should walk as Japan adjusts to the new world order.