The American and Japanese Social System The United States and Japan are very firm allies. On the security side, the United States and Japan are linked by a mutual security treaty. Despite all the attention in the press and negative attitudes toward Japan in Washington, particularly among government agencies that have to face the frustrations of Japans competitiveness, many American businessmen are doing very good business in Japan. The figures demonstrate this. Japan is Americas most important overseas trading partner, its most important agricultural consumer, and now a major investor in the