Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) on
BILATERAL SECURITY TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND JAPAN (SEPTEMBER 8, 1951)!
Asia for Educators l Columbia University l http://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 2 of 2
The!United!States!of!America,!in!the!interest!of!peace!and!security,!is!at!present!willing!
to! maintain! certain! of! its! armed! forces! in! and! about! Japan,! in! the! expectation,! however,! that!
Japan! will! itself! increasingly! assume! responsibility! for! its! own! defense! against! direct! and!
indirect!aggression,!always! avoiding!any!armament!which!could!be!an!offensive!threat!or!serve!
other!than!to!promote!peace!and!security!in!accordance!with!the!purposes!and!principles!of!the!
United!Nations!Charter.!
Accordingly,!the!two!countries!have!agreed!as!follows:!
Article! 1.! Japan! grants,! and! the! United! States! of! America! accepts,! the! right,! upon! the!
coming!into!force!of!the!Treaty!of!Peace!and!of!this!Treaty,!to!dispose!United!States!land,!air,!
and!sea!forces!in!and!about!Japan.!Such!forces!may!be!utilized!to!contribute!to!the!maintenance!
of!international!peace! and!security!in!the!Far! East!and!to! the!security!of! Japan!against!armed!
attack! from! without,! including! assistance! given! at! the! express! request! of! the! Japanese!
Government!to!put!down!large‑scale!internal!riots!and!disturbances!in!Japan,!caused!through!
instigation!or!intervention!by!an!outside!power!or!powers.!
Article!2.!During!the!exercise!of!the!right!referred!to!in!Article!1,!Japan!will!not!grant,!
without!the!prior!consent!of!the!United!States!of!America,!any!bases!or!any!rights,!powers!or!
authority!whatsoever,!in!or!relating!to!bases!or!the!right!of!garrison!or!of!maneuver,!or!transit!of!
ground,!air,!or!naval!forces!to!any!third!power.!
Article! 3.! The! conditions! which! shall! govern! the! disposition! of! armed! forces! of! the!
United!States!of!America!in!and!about!Japan!shall!be!determined!by!administrative!agreements!
between!the!two!Governments.!!
Article! 4.! This! treaty! shall! expire! whenever! in! the! opinion! of! the! governments! of! the!
United! States! of! America! and! Japan! there! shall! have! come! into! force! such! United! Nations!
arrangements! or! such! alternative! individual! or! collective! security! dispositions! as! will!
satisfactorily!provide!for!the!maintenance!by!the!United!Nations!or!otherwise!of!international!
peace!and!security!in!the!Japan!area.!
![Dennett!and!Durance,!eds.,!Documents*on*American*Foreign*Relations,!vol.!9,!1951,!pp.!266–67]!
!
Questions:
1. Is the 1951 Security Treaty consistent with the spirit of Article 9 of the 1947
Constitution?
2. How would you characterize the relationship between the United States and
Japan under the Security Treaty? How was this treaty in the interests of the
United States? Of Japan?
3. Under the Security Treaty, what was the explicit function of the U.S. troops
stationed in Japan? Was it!simply to defend Japan from external attack?
!