Electoral politics in Japan have been upended with the defeat of the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party. CFR’s Sheila Smith says the rise of the Democratic Party of Japan could test the U.S.-Jap…

The meeting of U.S. and Japanese leaders in Pearl Harbor will be a reminder of the remarkable journey that transformed the two countries from adversaries to allies.

CFR Senior Fellow Sheila A. Smith says Japan is well positioned to offer leadership on coping with the global financial crisis. But a domestic political stalemate, she says, threatens its ability to …