Benn Steil's Wall Street Journal op-ed explains the unique historical circumstances in which the Bretton Woods international monetary system emerged in 1944, and why calls for "a new Bretton Woods" today will go unsatisfied.

The election of the hawkish Shinzo Abe as Japan's prime minister has the world worrying that Tokyo is about to part with its pacifist strategy of the last 70 years. But Japan's new leaders are pragmatic, and so long as the United States does not waver in its commitment to the country's defense, they are unlikely chart a new course.

President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Abe made these remarks after their meeting on February 22, 2013.

President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Abe released this statement after their meeting on February 22, 2013, regarding trade relations.

Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes held this conference call with National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Danny Russel and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Mike Froman, to preview Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's visit to Washington, on February 22, 2013.

In a major electoral comeback, Japan's conservatives have won a supermajority in parliament. But the results have stirred anxieties about how they will use their power, says CFR's Sheila Smith.

Reviving Japan's economy from its two-decade-long slump is key to stabilizing the country's political environment, says expert Gerald Curtis.

Sebastian Mallaby argues that Europe's future is looking frighteningly like Japan's past.

Michael Spence shares his bullish outlook on emerging markets and their ability to rebound from a global growth slowdown.

Escalating friction between Japan and China in the East China Sea is becoming more difficult to contain, fed by political opportunism in both countries, says CFR's Sheila Smith.

Sheila Smith argues that while recent tensions between Japan and South Korea over territorial issues are deeply worrisome for the U.S. government and for regional stability, the reality is that a stronger bilateral relationship can only come about if it is the Japanese and Korean people that lead the effort on reconciliation.

Sheila A. Smith discusses how Japan's move to replace its ambassadors to the United States, China, and South Korea with three career officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has to do as much with domestic politics as it does with tensions in the region.

The Foreign Ministry of Japan released this Q&A on the Senkaku Islands.

The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China released this white paper entitled "Diaoyu Dao, an Inherent Territory of China".

Sheila A. Smith examines the way in which the 2010 crisis emerged between Japan and China, arguing that a crisis management initiative between Beijing and Tokyo rather than an overall reconciliation agenda may be what is now needed.

Ralph A. Cossa of Pacific Forum CSIS discusses the ROK government's cancellation of both the June 29 signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement and its plan to pursue a military Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement with Japan.

President Obama and Prime Minister Noda of Japan gave this joint press conference in Washington, DC on April 30, 2012.

CFR's Sheila Smith highlights the significance of the U.S.-Japan Summit as the first state visit by the Democratic Party's Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, which features a broad agenda and comes at a time when both Prime Minister Noda and President Obama face political challenges domestically.

CFR Senior Fellow Sheila A. Smith argues that the time has come for Japan and the United States to set priorities for military missions, formalize mechanisms for crisis management coordination, and work toward a long-term basing strategy that consolidates U.S. and Japanese facilities.

CFR's James M. Lindsay remembers the sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway on March 20, 1995 by a religious cult, and discusses how technological advances increasingly mean that governments are no longer the only ones capable of inflicting mass destruction.