Recalibrating alliance contributions : changing policy environment and military alliances / Tatsuro Yoda.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-306).

This thesis presents an analytic framework for exploring ways to encourage contributions from U.S. allies, with specific reference to Japan's Host Nation Support program (HNS) for U.S. Forces in Japan. The author examines the history of the U.S.-Japan alliance and the future of the alliance, looking particularly at the next Special Measures Agreement for the HNS in 2006. In Part I, after reviewing previous research, he constructs two conceptual models of alliance contributions to analyze their approach to change or burden-shifting: the economic model and the policy process model. The first model is based on previous studies in public economics and international relations. From this model, he found various kinds of conditions for change in the provision of contributions based on the internal and external environment. The second model is based on the agenda-setting theory in public policy studies. From this model, he found a condition to bring about a large and sudden change in alliance contributions. In Part II, the author applies an analytic framework based on the conceptual models to Japan's contributions to the U.S.-Japan alliance to examine their validity and to show their practical utility for analysis. First, he examines Japan's HNS program for U.S. Forces in Japan. Second, he examines Japan's alliance contributions and the history of the U.S.-Japan alliance from the 1970s to the 1990s. From these analyses he found key reasons to bring about a change in Japan's alliance contributions. In Part III, he analyzes the future of the U.S.-Japan alliance in the mid- to long-term case (10-20 years) and in the short-term case using the analytic framework. The short-term case focuses on the next Special Measures Agreement for the HNS in April 2006.