During World War II, Japan’s fleet was large and qualitatively peerless, but unsupported by a broader defense-industrial base. The United States finds itself in the same position today.

Truk Lagoon, once considered an impregnable Japanese stronghold, was devastated by a coordinated American attack in February ...

As the United States rethinks its role in the international order it has championed since the end of World War II, Japan is on the frontlines of the challenge to rules-based commerce and diplomacy.