US-Japanese Security Treaty in Kaiju Films

[The Oxygen Destroyer]

As we all know, after World War II the United States occupied Japan. In San Francisco 1952, they two nations signed the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan. The United States was allowed to have a military presence within Japan (Okinawa) and Japan eventually created the Self-Defense Force. The United States became required by treaty to defend Japan against any potential foreign aggressors, chiefly the Soviet Union, as it was near the beginning of the Cold War.
Even today years after the Cold War the treaty is still active. The United States and Japan still conduct military exercises to defend from potential threats from North Korea and China. Recent territorial disputes between Japan and the People's Republic of China concerning the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, have seen the United States reaffirm that the United States will defend its close ally Japan if there is a conflict between the two Asian neighbors as it is required to do so.

So wouldn't the treaty also require the United States to defend Japan against giant monsters? It is interesting that none of the films touch on this subject. The JSDF is in pretty much every kaiju film, but the US military hardly makes an appearance. Sure they offered to nuke Godzilla in The Return of Godzilla/1985 and there was a short scene in Mothra vs. Godzilla but that was only in the US version. Not saying that the US have to be the heroes of the films and get into something like that that I know a lot of people would take issue with. But they could work together with the JSDF to try and take Godzilla or any other monsters down.

I suppose that it was just too early for the Japanese audiences at the time to accept seeing the Americans drop bombs on Japanese soil battling Godzilla in the original 1954 film. And because Godzilla represented the Japanese fears at the time of the atomic bombs in the final days of WWII and the Lucky Dragon 5 incident, all caused by the US. Today I believe that it is just tradition to have the JSDF solely try and counter the kaiju.

It is interesting that none of the films have really addressed this issue. Although some here may not like the idea of geopolitics in Godzilla/kaiju films, I'm eager to hear if any of you have thoughts or opinions on this.

[Tohosaurus]

Maybe it has something to do with Godzilla's origins in nuclear testing and the inspiration real life American tests had on Japan and G54 in general. Or maybe they've never given it too much thought. Either seems pretty plausible.

[edgaguirus]

I've interpreted it as Japan showing a sense of pride. Rather than needing help from a foreign military force, they show the JSDF as strong and mostly able to handle kaiju threats to their soil. It's like how sci fi films of the 50s showed American know how and might in dealing with monsters.