FT op-ed by John Alkire, managing director of Morgan Stanley Japan.
Basic argument: we share a common enemy in China's persistent and pervasive cyber snooping and industrial theft. Recently, US and Japanese officials agreed to stop cyber-snooping on each other and cooperate on cyber-security--basically the cyber equivalent of a traditional military alliance. Alkire even goes so far as to say we should stand up a joint cyber-security facility on Okinawa to finesse the continuing tension over the US marine base there.
So yeah, little to no chance of us every landing Marines in China, but cyber-security "forces"? There you have my attention.