Joseph Nye: Intellectual giant who saved US-Japan alliance

TOKYO — If forced to name just one of Joseph Nye’s many accomplishments, one would typically choose the concept of “soft power” — that countries can pursue diplomacy through ideas and values and not just through military strength.

But from the perspective of the Asia-Pacific, Nye, a former dean of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government who died Tuesday, made even more significant contributions.