Part II: Forged in Fire: The Indo-Pacific Reimagined

Adversaries to Allies: The Evolution of the U.S.-Japan Alliance

Yuki Tatsumi

On December 27, 2016, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama stood together at Pearl Harbor to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Japan’s surprise attack. Each speaking at great length about the transformation of the bilateral relationship between Tokyo and Washington, the two leaders focused on the lessons that the history of U.S.-Japan relations offered for the world—that even countries which once “fought a fierce war that will go down in the annals of human history, have become allies, with deep and strong ties rarely found anywhere in history.”. Indeed, the evolution of the U.S.-Japan alliance since its original inception in 1951 reflects a remarkable transformation of Japan, which, having accepted unconditional surrender and subjected itself to the occupation by the allied powers eighty years ago, has emerged as one of the most prosperous leading democracies in the world today.

Japan’s Regeneration and the Power of a Shared Economic Vision

Shihoko Goto

Japan’s recovery since its defeat in World War II may have been nothing short of miraculous, but it was certainly not left to chance. Its emergence as a vibrant democracy after 1945 was heralded as a role model for growth across the Indo-Pacific in the 20th century, and Tokyo’s economic policies in particular were carefully studied by governments eager to learn from Japan’s success. But its rise as the first non Western country to join the ranks of the world’s most advanced economies and its embrace of democratic values governing the international order would not have been possible without the strong support of and partnership with the United States.

Japan’s Postwar Politics: The Rise (and Fall?) of the LDP

Ella Russell

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has dominated Japanese politics since the aftermath of World War II, leading the country almost continuously since 1955. While dominant parties are often authoritarian or illiberal, Japan has been a firm democracy since the 1950s. Yet the LDP’s unique status is a product of the specific economic, political, and social conditions that emerged after World War II. In recent decades, LDP leadership has come increasingly under threat.

Foundation of Sand: Chinese Communist Party Legitimacy and World War II

Annie Kowalewski

The enduring legacy of World War II continues to shape the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political legitimacy, military strategy, and international diplomacy today. Over the past eighty years of China’s economic growth and political upheaval, the CCP’s worldview has been forged through cycles of isolation, engagement, and politically expedient cooperation with outside forces. Such cycles continue to this day and can inform our current approach to strategic competition with China.

Wrecking Ball and Scaffolding: Japanese Militarism and the Construction of Chinese Nationalism

Griffin Allen

Japanese militarism in the 20th century was instrumental in sparking the collapse and reformation of Chinese conceptions of identity and nationalism. China’s long-standing self-image as the “middle kingdom” and the pinnacle of human culture was shattered by the so-called “century of humiliation,” characterized by defeats at the hands of industrialized countries beginning in 1839. It was Japan’s rise, however, that truly shook Chinese self-confidence.

Contested Legacies: The KMT, the CCP, and the Fight Against Japan

Sheng-wen Cheng

From 1937 to 1945, the Republic of China’s (ROC) Nationalist government, run by the Kuomintang (KMT) under Chiang Kai-shek, maintained a fragile Second United Front with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against Imperial Japan. In practice, however, the KMT led the vast majority of large-scale military engagements, including the Battles of Shanghai, Wuhan, and Changsha, and suffered the heaviest casualties in the war effort. CCP forces, by contrast, avoided conventional battles and focused on guerrilla operations, often prioritizing self-preservation over national resistance. Archival evidence even suggests that the CCP may have colluded with Japanese forces to undermine the KMT, for instance by selling intelligence on the Nationalist government to the Japanese. While this remains under debate, there is little doubt that the Nationalists shouldered the burden of resistance during World War II.

Uphill Battle: Taiwan’s Eighty-Year Quest to Define Itself

Grace Price

Throughout Taiwan’s modern history, the Taiwanese have fought an uphill battle to determine their own path. From 1895 to 1945, Japan occupied Taiwan with the goal of turning it into a “model” Japanese colony. The colonial government developed extensive transportation, energy, and education infrastructure; a governance system that allowed for some limited political participation; and Taiwan’s first modern industries. Though Japanese colonialism operated with a lighter touch in Taiwan than it did elsewhere, the Taiwanese were still treated as second-class citizens. To ensure loyalty to Japan, they were subjected to harsh assimilation policies, which only grew in intensity when Japan invaded China in 1931.

Geopolitical Rupture: The Birth of a Divided Korea

Seokjin Yun

The contrast between the two Koreas—one an isolated, nuclear-armed dictatorship, the other a thriving democracy and global innovation hub—has long symbolized the region’s unresolved Cold War divide. Yet the Korean story is more than a study in ideological contrasts; it is a testament to deterrence, strategic leadership, and the enduring consequences of geopolitical rupture.

America and Australia Must Look to Each Other

Kathryn Paik

World War II is often cited as a foundational moment for U.S.-Australia ties, a shared experience that saw significant U.S. military presence in Australia and close military cooperation throughout the Indo-Pacific. While this experience led to the Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS) in 1951, just as significant was the simultaneous shift in Australia’s foreign policy from one that looked to Britain to one that looked to the United States as its primary strategic partner.

Pacific Island Battles, Old and New

Grace Price

During World War II, the small, far-flung islands of the Pacific were critical to the allied forces’ counteroffensive strategy of combating Japanese expansionism. Numerous intense battles that claimed the lives of many were fought in the Pacific. While the United States has maintained its military and strategic presence in the Pacific Islands region since then, China has also significantly increased its presence, resulting in a fight for influence. However, long-standing issues, such as the United States’ nuclear testing legacy, and recent developments, such as the freezing of foreign assistance, could potentially stymie U.S. efforts to deepen America’s relationship with Pacific Island Countries (PICs) during this critical time.