Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on a state visit to the United States, where he held talks with U.S. President Joe Biden. Both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in the military and other fields. Looking back, Japan and the U.S. used to be in opposing camps during World War II. Decades later, the two countries now emerge on the world stage as close allies.

From enmity to alliance, has Japan been on a path of Americanization? From the ashes of war and hostility, how did Japan build a new relationship with the world based on its relations with the U.S.? In this special report, we take a journey through history to chart how Japan-U.S. relations got to where they are today.