America/Japan

America/Japan is a slash pairing in Axis Powers Hetalia, involving the characters of America and Japan.

Pre-War Times
The westernization of Japan in the 1800s begins when America visits Japan after being instructed by his boss to make friends there to get Japan to open up trade and give them permission to hunt whales.

Japan is initially extremely reluctant to even go outside to meet America, having been holed up in his house for at least 200 years, but is eventually compelled to interact with him when his claim that his people can only speak Dutch is foiled by America saying that he brought a Dutch translator with him. Even then, Japan remains wary and distrustful of America, telling him bluntly to go home after America says that he came to make friends with whales, and repeatedly wishing that he would leave him and his people alone. He seems to warm up a bit to America's insistence that he should get to know the rest of the world more when America explains to him that there are many new and exciting places and things out there to explore daily, thinking that he may not be such a bad person after all, until America reads off a huge list of demands and implicitly forces Japan to accept them.

This time period is also covered in a chapter of Volume 2 of the published manga, which is more focused on Japan's attempts to emulate parts of Western culture after deciding to open himself up to other countries' influences. America is shown introducing Japan to table turning, an alleged method of communicating with spirits to get answers to questions. While performing the table turning, Japan confides to America that ever since he opened up, he's been introduced to many wonderful things and people, but that he wants to know if he can really get along with the other countries in the future. America, who has been secretly moving the table to answer Japan's questions, moves it to answer 'yes' to this one.

The War Years
America and Japan are on opposite sides during World War II, with America joining the Allies and Japan the Axis. They aren't shown together often during this time because of this, although there is one strip about America thinking up of various ways to attack Japan, including painting Mount Fuji red to lower his fighting spirit.

Modern Life
After the war, America and Japan are shown to have become considerably friendlier with each other. Even though the two of them have very different cultures and personalities - differences that serve as the main subject of more than one strip - America is shown to visit Japan regularly and invite him to his Halloween and Christmas parties.

Japan, in turn, despite often expressing bemusement at America's antics or his childish and energetic personality, usually ends up going along with his plans or appeasing him, most notably when he initially declines America's invitation to his Christmas party but changes his mind after America tells him that he wanted him to come as a friend and that the party would be lonely without him. In fact, in the opening chapter of the published manga and first episode of the anime, Japan is shown to always agree with America's opinions.

In one strip, America watches scary movies with Japan who finds his "scary movies" to not be frightening at all. When Japan loans America some of his own horror movies, the reverse occurs with America thinking that the creatures in Japan's movies are cute, much to Japan's bewilderment.

Japan has also helped America successfully scare England during Halloween and invited him to his place to see the sakura trees bloom in the spring.

In the strip about America's birthday, Japan gives America a new game console, which America comments on as a great birthday present.

Fan Speculations
Even though America and Japan's interactions are shown to have started as far back as the 1800s, Japan appears to not have thought of him as a friend at first, at least in the webcomic where he's noticeably off-put by America's demands of his people in the westernization strips and is shown to be writing negative things about him in the strip about the Anglo-Japanese alliance from 1902 to 1921, not to mention the main WWII storyline where he and America are official enemies.

A great deal of speculation surrounds the state of relations between the two countries immediately following WWII, due to the historical bombing of the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki by US forces that ended the war. Most fanworks set during this time make their relationship an angsty one with Japan being bitter at America about the atomic bombings. However, the depiction of them in the modern-day strips as being much closer to each other than they were ever shown at any point prior to WWII appears to indicate that neither one of them harbors any ill will about the war.

In general, America and Japan are seen to have a classic "opposites attract" dynamic; America's cheerful and energetic personality helps draw Japan out of his shell, while Japan's calm and mature personality helps temper America's impulsive and immature behavior somewhat.

Published Manga

 * Japan and the Footsteps of Westernization (Axis Powers Hetalia Volume 2)

Webcomic: Extra Stories

 * Black Ships Have Come
 * Traits of Japanese People that Americans Have Noticed
 * Japan-kun and America-kun
 * America and Christmas
 * Supersize You!
 * America's Situation with Ghosts
 * Merry Halloween
 * You Might Be Mine
 * Why Americans Love Spring
 * Happy Birthday

Webcomic: Comic Diaries

 * Comic Diary 8