Structure of the Contradiction in Japanese-American Relations in the 1990s

>i>Precis:>/i> Japanese-American relations constitute an important part of the general configuration of post-cold war global relations. They conflict with the strategic setup of the world as well as with the strategic setup of the Asia-Pacific region in the world. Obvious or potential contradictions exist in Japanese-American relations. These are structured roughly at four levels: economic, military, political, and cultural. Current developments have increasingly driven home the realization that these contradictions have gone from the superficial to the in-depth level, exposing the two countries' differences in social structure, culture, values, and mindset. Superficial problems are more easily resolved than the deeper ones. The more superficial contradictions are manifested and resolved, the closer the two countries will find themselves to contradictions at the core.