Search Result

Srl

Item

ID: 175662

Explaining Japan’s post-Cold War security policy trajectory: maritime realism / Matsuda, Takuya

Matsuda, Takuya	Journal Article
	0 Rating(s) & 0 Review(s)

Summary/Abstract

Why has Japan shifted towards a more active security posture since the end of the Cold War? Japan’s security policy under Prime Minister Abe has triggered numerous discussions on the changing nature of Japan as a security actor. This article identifies two independent variables—the balance of power calculations and secure access to the maritime commons—that informs Japan’s security policy trajectory. It argues that Japanese strategy is best described as ‘maritime realism’, a posture in which liberal internationalist and realist elements draw upon principles of maritime strategy to fuse together. Japan has not only actively facilitated US commitment to maritime Asia but also focused on expanding its role in maritime security as the maritime space in the Indo-Pacific has increasingly become a contested space. While Tokyo’s security policy corresponds with structural realist predictions, they have also been frequently expressed in liberal internationalist language given the peculiar nature of the role of navies. This article’s findings advance theoretical debates on alliance politics and great power competition by integrating international relations and concepts in strategic studies. It also contains significant explanatory power in assessing the trajectory of Japan’s defence policy since the end of the Cold War.

Key Words

International Relations Theory ; Alliance Politics ; Japanese Security ; US–Japan Alliance ; American Naval Primacy

Links

'Full Text'

In Basket

Export

ID: 190375

Japan’s Emerging Security Strategy / Matsuda, Takuya

Matsuda, Takuya	Journal Article
	0 Rating(s) & 0 Review(s)

Summary/Abstract

In December 2022, Japan defined its security policy for the coming decade by releasing three documents: a National Security Strategy, a National Defense Strategy, and a Defense Buildup Program. This long-anticipated set of documents have proven to be transformational by bringing about significant and positive changes in the US-Japan alliance.Footnote1 The past decade has been a critical—and evolutionary—juncture in Tokyo’s security policy.Footnote2 The series of security reforms implemented throughout the decade have paved the way to facilitate a more integrated military alliance with the United States by bolstering Tokyo’s decision-making apparatus and untangling some of the peculiar legal constraints on the use of force in Japan.Footnote

Key Words

Japan’s Emerging Security Strategy

Links

'Full Text'

In Basket

Export