The late Quaternary records of alkenone sea surface temperature (SST) in the Japan and California margins showed orbital-scale anti-phase SST variations between the two margins. This east-west seesaw-like change agreed well with the long-term El Ni¿o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) behavior predicted by the Zebiak-Cane ENSO model <Clement et al., 1999> as regards both the timing and frequency during 0--60 ka and 120--145 ka, and is attributed to the precession-controlled change in tropical ENSO behavior. This anti-phase SST change was not clearly demonstrated during 60--120 ka. This finding suggests that the influence of tropical climatic dynamics on the mid-latitude North Pacific varied in response to glacial-interglacial cycles.