Managing the Medusa: Japan-USA relations in GX summitry

This article explores the ways in which Japan manages its bilateral relationship with the USA. It contributes to the extant literature on Japan–USA bilateral relations by focusing particularly upon the management of this core bilateral relationship from a Japanese perspective and within two mechanisms of global governance, the G8 and G20 summits, collectively referred to as GX summitry. Specifically, the article highlights the various strategies and tactics instrumentalized by Japan in managing its bilateral relationship with the USA in this context, in addition to evaluating how successful they have been and contrasting them with the strategies adopted by the UK as another member of the G8 and G20 that maintains a ‘special relationship’ with the USA.