Technonationalism in U.S. Japanese Security Relations: The FSX Controversy

Abstract

In early 1989, the Bush administration prepared to submit for congressional review the FSX co-development project. The project quickly became an object of technonationalism; critics charged that the FSX was another example of defense technology transfer that would undermine U.S. economic competitiveness. This article examines the roots of the FSX controversy in the rising technonationalism, the procedural and substantive issues surrounding interagency review and clarification of the agreement, and the congressional and public debate over the degree of reciprocity in technology transfer. The article concludes with an assessment of the consequences of the FSX controversy for future defense technology cooperation.