Fukushima fall-out: who is Japan's friend now?

Faced with a devastating earthquake, an overwhelming tsunami, an unforeseen and potentially life-threatening nuclear fallout, huge social upheaval and a resulting loss of confidence in economic and financial markets, the question arises: who is stepping up to help Japan?

The question becomes more pressing in light of the 'liberation of Libya', with sustained naval and aerial commitments from the world's major powers already in play — and beyond Libya, there are Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Ivory Coast to name a few.

Japan has had to look both inward and outward. For the first time since 1945, the government has mobilised the Japanese Self Defence Force (SDF). The SDF has sprung into action: caring for citizens, restoring towns and villages to semi-functioning order, and repeatedly pouring cold water over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to prevent overheating, while planning contingency arrangements for nuclear-affected areas where contaminated food remains a major concern.

Internal resources can only go so far. The United States has stepped up. For all the damage to its soft power caused by the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the US remains the critical actor on the international stage — the world's superpower, economic powerhouse, and unrivalled military hegemon. Despite recent US concerns that Japan had been seeking closer ties with China and allowing its alliance with the US to drift, the US has made substantial humanitarian efforts to help Japan back onto its feet. This is not solely a product of the alliance relationship or national security calculations: it reflects the reality that no country can now fall into crisis without a security impact on others. Tens of thousands of US personnel are already involved in relief, search-and-recovery missions and nuclear assistance, having delivered thousands of pounds of food, water, medical assistance and electricity generators.

The key question is whether the US can sustain engagement on so many fronts simultaneously — given an imminent recession, a dwindling defence budget, ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the new commitment in Libya, all against a backdrop of a weary domestic public.