The Soviet Factor in U.S.-Japanese Defense Cooperation, 1978-1985.

The article discusses the role of Soviet Union military threats in promoting a U.S. military alliance with Japan between 1978 and 1985. It is said that U.S. officials encouraged Japan to engage in a sea-lane defense mission, especially under Japanese Prime Ministers Suzuki Zenkō and Nakasone Yasuhiro. Other topics include a territorial dispute with the Soviet Union regarding Japan's purported Northern Territories, the impact of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan on Japanese military policy, and the influence of Japan's 1978 Treaty of Peace and Friendship (PFT) with the People's Republic of China (PRC).