The political economy of U.S. military bases and its impact on Japan’s local economy

This talk provides an overview of the economic and political impacts of the presence of U.S. military bases in Japan. International relations research has traditionally examined U.S. bases qualitatively, usually treating them as an outcome of U.S. global security strategy. In contrast, military economics offers a body of work on the economic effects of base closures and realignments in the United States and Europe. However, studies examining the impact of U.S. bases on Japan remain scarce.

My research addresses this gap by presenting the historical and strategic background of U.S. basing in Japan, alongside empirical evidence and case studies that illustrate the effects of these bases on surrounding communities. The project employs a mixed-methods design and explores the relationship between U.S. bases and Japanese municipalities using the original dataset “The United States Bases in Japan”, which draws on a wide range of primary and secondary sources.

This study contributes to military economics and international relations—especially scholarship on the U.S.–Japan security alliance—by demonstrating how economic impacts vary depending on base type and concentration. The policy implications suggest that Japan’s base-hosting strategies should be adapted to the characteristics of individual bases and local conditions, incorporating municipal perspectives into alliance management and regional development planning. These insights are particularly relevant amid shifting Indo-Pacific security dynamics and ongoing debates about the sustainability of overseas military bases.