Show For nearly 60 years Japan and the United States have been close allies to our mutual benefit But with US leadership now focused on China and the war against global terrorism a veteran Asia expert warns of a cooling off with Tokyo and its consequences 4a our nation focuses on the threat of global terrorism and the possibility of war in Iraq are we forgetting about our most important ally in Asia ? PARADE recently sent Contributing Editor James Webb an Asia expert to the Far East to lake Japan 's pulse A former Secretary of the Savy Webb is the author of "The Emperor’s General" a novel about America 'v occupation ofjaptm after World War II NLIKK EVEN 20 YEARS AGO ft today's Tokyo i a decidedly phisticaied city The shopping in the Ginza district rivals Manhattan's Shinjuku's bright lights and so-jtl- cmvvded pachinko halls hint at Las Vegas The ethnic mix in Roppon-gi'- s clubs and along its sidewalks seems as varied as San Francisco's On the mads in upscale lliroo a steady stream of Mercedes and BMWs pass by European coffee shops Inside an apartment w hose terrace looks out across the skyscraper-fille- d landscape of Tokyo a dose triend steak dinner offering has cooked up a Western-styl- e wine French me I have visited Japn numerous times— as a Marine top-quali- ty JAMES WEBB BY 4- H (Mtuh tmJ b MuyttmafRfHtrnltmepit frfau Kiukt Nr sNrvu am 'nffn rr md kmty I tmd htff I frMfr'Wipfr’J ftifrf Nam fmugi's fViWNrmr4iirti tenkn fpnuntmj htfr6- WfttiM Horpkrrifugntm fvfcjpprnj 4 Wulr Wttrhlt Mm Arthur ol NtroMinn a journalist a novelist doing research a government official a guest of their government and a simple tourist I have followed its cycles as it rebuilt into an economic powerhouse after a devastating war only to hit the wall as its economy contracted and its population began to age I have seen its people move away fmm xenophobic isolation and into a prominent place among the world’s great nations And I have watched over the past decade as America's leaders became distracted by an ever more influential China and began to overlook the vital importance of our relationship with the Japanese PAGE 4 JANUARY IS 9003 PARADE MAGAZINE |