William Bradley: “America's most important relationship internationally is with a country that is in the throes of a historic…”

“America's most important relationship internationally is with a country that is in the throes of a historic transformation. It is a country trying to break free from the bureaucratic shackles which have victimized its people and reduced its quality of life, shackles which have denied the public a voice in the governance of their country and a fair share of if considerable prosperity. The stakes in the success of this transformation are high. If it succeeds, this country will emerge as a primary American partner in working for the kind of international environment conducive to a stable, peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future. If it fails, the world will be more nasty and brutish, and we will have to devote more of our scarce resources in support of vital national interests abroad. The country in question is not Russia or China, it is Japan. And our approach to Japan has broad implications for American interests across the board: in bilateral trade, Japan's political reform, and American strategic interests.”