The massive Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, caused extensive damage in northeastern Japan, including damage to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power installation, which resulted in the release of radiation. Concerns have arisen about the potential effects of this released radiation on the U.S. marine environment and resources. This report discusses these concerns.

This report discusses issues regarding U.S.-Japan economic relations, since the economic condition of each nation can affect the world economy and a U.S.-Japan bilateral economic relationship could influence economic conditions in other countries. U.S. and Japanese leaders have several options on how to manage their relationship, including stronger reliance on the World Trade Organization; special bilateral negotiating frameworks and agreements; or a free trade agreement.

This report discusses issues regarding U.S.-Japan economic relations, since the economic condition of each nation can affect the world economy and a U.S.-Japan bilateral economic relationship could influence economic conditions in other countries. U.S. and Japanese leaders have several options on how to manage their relationship, including stronger reliance on the World Trade Organization; special bilateral negotiating frameworks and agreements; or a free trade agreement.

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This report reviews data that the Administration has provided to Congress on the costs of U.S. forces based abroad and on the value of host nation support contributions. It analyzes the data in order to assess potential defense budget savings from measures now under congressional consideration. The report concludes that, because of shortcomings in the data, estimates of savings in the U.S. defense budget from increased host nation contributions are often overstated. Some commonly accepted assertions frequently cited in the congressional burdensharing debate, therefore, are of doubtful validity.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Mike Mansfield once classified U.S. Japanese relations as "the most important bilateral relationship in the world, bar none." Over the past decade, tensions between the two nations increased markedly, due largely to U.S. concerns over the sharp rise in the U.S. Japan bilateral trade imbalance and to the growing competitive challenge posed by Japan. This paper provides a chronology of major trade events between the United States and Japan from 1980 through 1990 in order to provide a perspective of major trade issues between the two nations. The appendix provides selected data on trade between the two countries over this period.

Taiwan and Japan might seem to be two similar island economies when viewed from this side of the Pacific, but they are strikingly dissimilar. Over the twentieth century, their relationship with one another has shifted from colonial to mutual growth and recognition to the current anomaly of an intense economic interchange accompanied by severed diplomatic ties. Between Taiwan and Japan, the private sector is taking the lead in developing a relationship that is both mutually beneficial and strained.

Some indirect measures of Japan's import barriers indicate that Japan's import behavior is unusual, but some do not. Japan's trade surplus is large, but the United States exports as much to that market as it does to other major industrialized nations. Japan's imports of manufactures, however, are low relative to levels in other industrialized nations.

This report presents data regarding the persons killed, missing, and buildings totally or partially damaged after the disaster in Japan. The report discusses the economic impact the disaster had on Japan and the impact on U.S. imports from and exports to Japan.