@article{oai:tsukuba.repo.nii.ac.jp:00033702, author = {Ohtomo, Takafumi}, journal = {国際日本研究, Journal of International and Advanced Japanese Studies}, month = {Jan}, note = {Japan and Germany, as close allies of the United States, are more likely than non-allies to provide stable U.S. military bases. In Germany, domestic pressure against U.S. bases is rare today. In Japan, however, local protest is strong. Why do these allies react differently to U.S. military presence? How does the international security environment constrain domestic reactions to U.S. presence? The answers to those questions have meaning for the prospects of continued U.S. military presence. Recent literature on U.S. bases has focused on domestic politics of host nations in explaining U.S. military presence. Generally, one would expect that powerful domestic opposition could lead to U.S. troop withdrawal. Nonetheless, the international environment continues to force Japan to rely on the United States. In the end, Japan’s security dependence and America’s desire to remain in Japan play significant roles for continued U.S. presence and alliance. On the other hand, although local Germans and U.S. soldiers maintain good relations and some towns work hard to retain U.S. bases, the United States continues to reduce its military presence there. Taken together, international factors seem to exert more influence on state decisions. In this article, I show the importance of linking base politics, alliance politics, and the concept of alliance dilemma for better understanding base issues.}, pages = {17--34}, title = {U.S. Military Bases and Force Realignments in Japan and Germany}, volume = {6}, year = {2014} }