Historical Dictionary of United States-Japan ... - Bakumatsu Films

24 • INTRODUCTION
In the 1990s, in order to redress trade imbalances, Japan and the
United States stressed macroeconomic concerns, area-specific issues,
structural problems, and a results-oriented approach. Washington demanded
that Japan set minimum numerical targets for increases of imports,
arguing that because the Japanese market was closed, the United
States had severe difficulty in expanding its exports to Japan. Japan
strongly opposed this request on the grounds that it could lead to managed
trade, and insisted that U.S. firms conduct more effective market
research and produce goods suitable for Japanese consumers.
The gross domestic products (GDPs) of the United States and Japan
combined constituted approximately 40 percent of the world’s total
GDP, and their economic assistance made up about 50 percent of the total
amount of aid. Since U.S.–Japanese economic relations will continue
to have a decisive impact on the health of the global economy, the
U.S.–Japan Twenty-first Century Committee was established in July
1996 as a bilateral, private-sector forum for dialogue and the consideration
of policy proposals. Moreover, the two nations have worked together
on such global threats as the deterioration of the earth’s environment,
communicable diseases, natural calamities, and terrorism.
THE 1990s: MILITARY FIELD
In April 1990, in response to a request from the U.S. Congress, the
George H. W. Bush administration issued its strategy for East Asia, “A
Strategic Framework for the Asian Pacific Rim: Looking Toward the
21st Century.” This document laid out the main points of the Bush administration’s
view of the post–Cold War situation. The report stated
that the 1990s would probably mark a turning point for political conditions
in the Asia–Pacific region. Meanwhile, members of the U.S. Congress,
who saw the end of the Cold War as a reason to cut unnecessary
defense spending, began demanding a reduction of U.S. military forces
in East Asia, primarily those in South Korea and Japan. In 1992, the
White House announced a second strategy document for East Asia that
reaffirmed the plan for gradual troop reductions decided in 1990.
Nevertheless, the 1990s were an unstable decade for U.S.–Japanese
relations, a time during which the two countries searched for a new
principle to determine the orientation of their relationship. The Persian
Gulf War of 1991 confirmed the importance of the U.S. bases in Japan.