| Publication |
2010.
|
| Summary/Abstract |
In 2005-2006 Japan began asserting the jurisdictional rights to its maritime domain with greater authority than ever before. Tokyo prepared to conduct exploratory drilling in the disputed East China Sea and passed new laws to permit the full realization of Japan's maritime rights and responsibilities. This activist turn appears to be at odds with most explanations of Japanese strategic policy. Given its preference for strategic evolution, Japan's sudden preoccupation with the security and administration of its extended maritime zones-the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and its extended continental shelf-following years of neglect is striking. Moreover, this shift has not received a great deal of attention in the literature. This paper argues that Japan's hesitant, ad hoc and incomplete response to its changing maritime environment can be understood through Kent Calder's "reactive state" paradigm. While academic discussion of Japanese foreign policy has moved beyond the reactive state debate, Japan's approach to its ocean policy appears to fulfill both of Kent Calder's reactive state criteria. This paper analyses Japan's resistance to the expansion of state sovereignty seaward and explores how this policy inertia was exposed by China's more active maritime policy. This more assertive Chinese posture triggered the proactive turn in Japan's ocean policy, which may have negative consequences for regional security.
|