Kuala Lampur, Dec. 19 -- As 2025 draws to an end, Japan approaches another solemn milestone: eighty years since the conclusion of the Second World War.

Inevitably, strategic commentary gravitates toward a familiar theme - the US-Japan Security Treaty.

For decades, outside observers have explained Japan almost entirely through the prism of an American security umbrella, as though military protection alone explains Japan's stability, prosperity, or diplomatic tone.

That has always been a narrow reading.

The United States holds similar defence treaties with South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines, and at one point with Thailand.

Yet none of these alliances have produced Japan's unique blend of strategic predictability, institutional...