The Alliance and America First: Coping with Changing the Indo-Pacific

Mr. Daniel R. Russel, Former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Japan has been buffeted by the twin forces of a more assertive China under Xi Jinping and a less predictable United States under Donald Trump. In response, the Japanese government has employed a variety of strategies to sustain the post-war rules-based order and to maintain the alliance – two key factors in Japan’s security and prosperity. What are the challenges and the prospects for Japan, the region and the alliance? Daniel Russel is Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). Previously he served as a Diplomat in Residence and Senior Fellow with ASPI for a one year term. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, he most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary on July 12, 2013, Mr. Russel served at