日美基轴关系是战后日本外交的基本理念之一，它包括日美之间在经济、政治和安全等方面的内容，而日美安全保障体制是其核心，是保证日本经济发展、走向经济大国乃至政治大国的前提。日本安全保障体制的思想基础 ——日美安全构想起源于太平洋战争结束之时。根据 《波茨坦公告》，战后盟国军队应对日本实施占领，但美国出于称霸远东和对苏战略需要对日 本实施了单独占领。随着冷战的开始，日本放弃了由联合国保障日本安全的构想和地区性集体安全构想，接受了由美国承担保障日本安全的结盟构想;而美国也需要日本作为其构筑称霸远东地区平台的支柱。1951年《旧金山和约》与《日美安全条约》的签订标志着日美安全保障体制的形成，日本实现了对美单独媾和并结束了美军对日占领。然而日美关系仍然是不平等的。冷战40余年就是日本和平与发展的时期，是日本争取对美平等地位、重返国际舞台的时期，随着日本经济实力的逐渐增强和美国在亚太地区实力衰减，日美建立了经济伙伴关系、政治伙伴关系并最终走向平等的伙伴关系，日本在日 美安全保障体制中维护自身安全的责任和能力也同样增强，与此同时，日本也由经济大国向政治大国迈进。 冷战结束后，日美安全保障体制防卫的主要对象苏联解体，并没有导致这一体制的结束，相反其关系日益紧密。美国为了维护其在远东地区的利益，继续将日本作为其前出基地和后勤保障基地，并且让日本承担越来越多的安全责任和驻日美军的费用。日本也在参加联合国维持国际和平行动的的名义下实现了向海外派兵。日美防卫合作的范围从“ 日本本土”扩展到“日本周边地区”，防卫合作的内容加强了日本作为平时和战时对美军的支援，日 本军事力量的作用从保卫国土的“专守防卫”扩展到支援美军在海外的军事行动，因而在实质上突破了战后日本和平宪法，实现了向海外派兵并拥有了集体自卫权。日本日益成为日美联合称霸远东的重要组成部分和美国推行全球战略的工具，对周边国家构成了现实的和潜在的威胁，尤其是干预朝鲜半岛和中国台湾事务，对中国和平统一大业的完成极为不利。尽管日美之间仍然存在许多矛盾，但在可预见的未来还不会有其它的双边关系能够取代日美关系，周边国家必须对日美主导地区安全事务予以抵制并建立起符合冷战结束后新时期的地区合作安全机制。 在后冷战时期继续维 系冷战时期的地区安全保障体制是逆历 史发展方向而动的，是不符合当今世界和平与发展的潮流的。日美关系如果局限在这一体制中，则其不平等性质和互不信任态度就得不到解决，而这才是对两国安全构成的真正威胁。

The basic-axis relationship between Japan and the US is one of the fundamental concepts of the Japanese diplomacy after the Second World War. It includes the relationships in economy, politics and security, and the Japan-US security and safeguard system is its core.They form the precondition which guarantee Japan’s economic development and its changing into an economic superpower even a political superpower. The Japan-US security conception, the thought bases of the Japanese security and safeguard system, originated at the end of the Pacific War.According to Potsdam Agreement, the allied forces should occupy Japan after the war, but the US, of its own need of dominating the Far East and the strategy against the USSR, occupied Japan unilaterally.When the Cold War started, Japan gave up both conception of requesting the UN protect him and of the regional collective security,and accepted the US’s protection.Meanwhile,the US also needed Japan as the bases of his hegemonic construction in the Far East Region. In 1951 with Sam Francisco Treaty of Peace with Japan and Treaties of Security and Safeguard Between Japan and United States being singed, Japan-US security system formed, in which Japan made peace with the US unilaterally and put an end to the US occupation. But the Japan-US relationship is not equal. During the 40-year Cold War period, Japan developed rapidly in a peaceful environment. Its ability to self-defence improved greatly. Up to now, Japan has set up an equal economic relationship with the US in the system. After the Cold War, the disintegration of the USSR, the major target of the Japan-US security system, did not put an end to this system, on the contrary, the Japan-US relationship grew even closed. The US, of its purpose of protecting its profit in the Far East, continued making Japan as its forward attack and rear services bases. The US also made Japan take more security responsibility and provide more expenditure for the US troops stationed in Japan. With Japan, in the name of the UN international peace keeping action, sending its troops overseas, and the scope of the Japan-US defence cooperation expanded from Japanese territory to the Japan's Periphery.The function of Japan’s military forces also expanded from “exclusive self-defence”to support the US’s military operation overseas. Substantially, Japan had broken through peace constitution drawn in post war and owned the right of collective defence. Japan, being an important part of the Japan-US dominating the Far East alliance and a tool of the US global strategy, has become a real or potential danger to its surrounding countries. Its interfered the afflairs in Korean Peninsula and China’s Taiwan,has formed a threaten to China’s reunification. Although there are a lot of contradiction between Japan and the US, it is predictable that no other bilateral relationship can take the place of the Japan-US's in the near future. The countries in this area should fight again Japan and the US in dominating security affairs in the area and try to set up a new security cooperation mechanism in accordance with the new ear after the Cold War. Keeping regional security system originated in the Cold War is not propitious to the direction of the history or the trend of peace and development nowadays world. The Japan-US relationship, if limited in the system, will do no good in solving its inequality and mutual distrusting problems. And it is the inequality and distrusting that post a real threat to the security of the both countries.