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Nobuteru Ishihara, Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), examined "Perspectives Toward a Renewed U.S.-Japanese Alliance."

The U.S.-Japanese alliance has faced several years of uncertainty, due to factors that include the rise of China, a fundamental shift in Japanese domestic politics since 2009, and a focus on reconstruction in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Ishihara addressed how a change in Japan's government following the upcoming 2013 election might offer the opportunity to strengthen the U.S.-Japanese alliance, and what a strengthened alliance could mean for the rest of Asia.

Ishihara's long career in public service began when he was elected to the Diet in 1990, representing Tokyo. He served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Koizumi, first as Minister of State for Administrative and Regulatory Reform, and then as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. Elected Secretary-General of the LDP in 2010, Ishihara is widely considered a leading candidate to become Prime Minister should the LDP come to power in Japan.