JAPAN’S SECURITY POLICY This book analyses Japan’s security policy after the Cold War and engages with the question of whether, since the Cold War ended, Japan has again become a global security player. The contributions to the book explore Japan’s security policy by providing a detailed overview of the evolution of Japan’s security policy after the Cold War, including the Japan–U. Security Treaty and the Senkaku/Daioyu Islands dispute. It also reveals the preeminent security concerns of contemporary Japan by delving into regional security issues such as the Layered Security of Okinawa, the increasing nuclear threat from North Korea, and the Taiwan Strait Crisis of 1995–6.
The book culminates by discussing security in terms of the essential functions of energy, food, and human security, including an assessment of Japan’s energy policy since World War II and an assessment of the impact food security on Japan’s agriculture and trade. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of East Asian Politics, Security Studies and the International Relations of the Asia Pacific. It is also a valuable resource for diplomats and policymakers on Japan and East Asia. Keiji Nakatsuji is a Professor of the College of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University, Japan.
POLITICS IN ASIA Japanese Public Sentiment on South Korea Popular Opinion and International Relations Edited by Tetsuro Kobayashi and Atsushi Tago Taiwan and the Changing Dynamics of Sino-US Relations A Relational Approach Hung-Jen Wang Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Southeast Asia Joseph Chinyong Liow Nuclear Governance in the Asia-Pacific Mely Caballero-Anthony and Julius Cesar I. Trajano Strategic Triangles Reshaping International Relations in East Asia Gilbert Rozman Geo-Politics in Northeast Asia Edited by Akihiro Iwashita, Yong-Chool Ha and Edward Boyle Substantive Representation of Women in Asian Parliaments Edited Devin K. Joshi and Christian Echle Activism and Authoritarian Governance in Asia Edited by Amy Barrow and Sara Fuller Japan’s Security Policy Keiji Nakatsuji India’s Southeast Asia Policy During the Cold War Identity, Inclination and Pragmatism 1947-1989 Edited by Tridib Chakraborti and Mohor Chakraborty Contemporary Japanese Politics and Anxiety Over Governance Ken’ichi Ikeda For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.com/Politics-in-Asia/book- series/PIA. JAPAN’S SECURITY POLICY Edited by Keiji Nakatsuji First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Keiji Nakatsuji; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Keiji Nakatsuji to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-032-13953-1 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-13955-5 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-23165-3 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003231653 CONTENTS List of illustrations List of contributors Preface PART I Historical Overview 1 The Cold War and Japan–US Alliance as Backdrop Keiji Nakatsuji 2 Post-Cold War Crises and A Search for a New Security Policy Keiji Nakatsuji 3 Did Japan Become a Global Security Player Again? Keiji Nakatsuji PART II Regional Issues 4 Japan and South Korea: Can the Two Countries Cooperate Over the North Korea Nuclear Crisis? Sachio Nakato 5 Layered Security on Okinawa: Reconciling International, National, and Subnational Narratives Ra Mason 6 How Did Japan take the Taiwan Strait Crisis of 1995–6? Keiji Nakatsuji PART III Security Policy by Function 7 Japan’s Energy Security Eunjung Lim 8 Japan’s Food Security Policy Hironori Sasada 9 Why Did Japan Engage in Human Security Diplomacy? Kenki Adachi Conclusion Keiji Nakatsuji Index ILLUSTRATIONS Figures 4.1 Japan-ROK Security Cooperation 8.1 Japan’s Food Self-Sufficiency Rates (1960–2020) 8.2 International Comparison of Calorie-based Food Self-sufficiency Rates in 2017 9.1 Role Japan Should Play in International Society Tables 4.1 Defining factors for Security Cooperation Between Japan and South Korea 4.2 Japan-ROK security cooperation after North Korea’s nuclear tests 6.1 Contributions to Food Self-sufficiency Rates by Item in 2017 CONTRIBUTORS ADACHI, Kenki, Ritsumeikan University, Japan.
LIM, Eunjung, Kongju National University, Republic of Korea (South Korea). MASON, Ra, University of East Anglia, UK. NAKATO, Sachio, Ritsumeikan University, Japan. NAKATSUJI, Keiji, Ritsumeikan University, Japan.
SASADA, Hironori, Hokkaido University, Japan. PREFACE During or after the Cold War, has Japan been exposed to more serious security challenges? It is not easy to answer this question. Most of the reasons are in the uncertainty of the post-Cold War era. In fact, it is not always easy to give a name to the times, but after World War II, it was decided that as early as 1947 when an American journalist Water Lippman called the U.–Soviet conflict under progress the Cold War.
What about the post-Cold War era? The term post-Cold War seems to be allowed to be used if a new era begins and is less than 10 years old. It is embarrassing, as a person studying international relations, that it is still referred to as the post-Cold War period beyond 30 years. Furthermore, I remember being stunned when some American researchers started calling it the Post-Post-Cold War era shortly after 9/11. Fortunately, this uncreative name has never been established.
A reason why we do not have definitive name is related to the rapid changes or perceived changes in the security threats of the post-Cold War era. Immediately after the end of the Cold War, there was growing optimism that one world (globalization) would emerge, and a peace dividend was expected. However, the existence of the “axis of evil” including Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein immediately began to be called into question, and the importance of regional conflicts came to greater attention. After 9/11, the fight against terrorism or Islamic extremism was brought to the fore.
And now it is said that the challenge of U.-China rivalry or state capitalism, including that of Russia, is the most important security agenda. How did Japan respond to the situation where the identity of threat was not decided like this? In the Cold War and post-Cold War periods, both continuation and change can be observed in Japan’s security policy. The continuation is that the three fundamentals of Japan’s security policy after World War II are still maintained. They are the so-called Peace Constitution, the Japan-U.
Security Treaty, and the Self-Defense Forces. Important changes are also related to the three fundamentals: first, the official interpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution has changed and the right to collective self-defense has come to be accepted. Second, with regard to Japan–U. defense cooperation under the Security Treaty, the two revisions to the defense guidelines have greatly made the Japan–U.
cooperation system substantial in terms of response and operation not only in Japan’s territorial defense but also in disputes in regions that could have a significant impact on Japan’s security. Third, as for the size of the budget of the Self-Defense Forces, although there is a ceiling of GNP1% since the late Cold War period, with the growth of the Japanese economy, it has become one of the world’s largest budgets as a result, for better or worse. And the scope of its activities has become much more international through its support of U. forces, peacekeeping operations (PKOs), and overseas disaster relief operations.
We ask following questions: In sharing responsibility with U., has Japan become a global security player again, and is this welcoming for the world as well as for Tokyo? In Japan, there is rich scholarly tradition on the diplomatic history, and non-Japanese researchers starting with Edwin Reischauer have also contributed to bringing fresh perspectives. However, research on Japan’s security policy after the Cold War has barely been started. There are not many studies either in Japanese or English which cover this broad field. Among the few, Sheila Smith’s Japan Rearmed addressed issues such as the roles of Self Defense Forces in PKO, Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, and the Great East Japan earthquake.
James Schoff’s Uncommon Alliance for the Common Good extended institutional discussion over US-Japan defense cooperation and Japan’s defense establishment. Their pioneer studies contributed to laying a good foundation for further studies, but their works are hardly definitive. Taizoh Miyagi’s Gendai Nihon Gaikoshi (Diplomatic History of Contemporary Japan) tirelessly covers many issues but does not show the main historical current to understand the contemporary international relations of Japan. Kosuke Yoshitsugu wrote a concise, yet readable and well-balanced description of the history of Nichi-Bei Anpo Taisei-shi (The Japan–U.
But his book covered the entire history of the treaty, which left the space allocated to the post-Cold War era too short for an in-depth analysis. There are numerous autobiographies and interviews with contemporary politicians and senior officials. But we need to admit, as a whole, there is no one book that provides readers with a comprehensive historical knowledge as well as clues to understand the main current of Japan’s security policy after the Cold War. This volume is made of three parts.
Part I provides a detailed overview of evolution of Japan’s security policy after the Cold War. Part II covers regional security issues of Okinawa, Korean Peninsula, and Taiwan. The Senkaku/Daioyu dispute is covered in Part I. Part 3 extends security discussions in terms of essential functions of energy, food, and human security.
Regarding human security specifically, the Japanese government has a strong tradition of providing official developmental assistance since around 1970s. And the government increasingly began paying attention to individual well-being and safety in neighboring developing countries, because it will enhance security of Japan in the end as well. Human security therefore became a pet project of the Japanese government. *As to the quotations from books, newspapers, and documents in Japanese, they are translated by the authors of this book unless otherwise mentioned.
**The publication of the book became possible partially by a reseach fund provided by Korea Foundation. PART I Historical Overview DOI: 10.4324/9781003231653-1 1 THE COLD WAR AND JAPAN–US ALLIANCE AS BACKDROP Keiji Nakatsuji DOI: 10.4324/9781003231653-2 Preface In this chapter, we briefly look back on Japan’s security policy during the Cold War, as a prerequisite for discussing Japan’s post-Cold War security policy. Comparison with the Cold War security policy will provide us clues to clarify the characters of post-Cold War security policy. How did the post- Cold War security policy evolve from the Cold War era? In addition, since Japan’s post-World War II security policy is based on the Japan–US Security Treaty, we will examine a theory of alliances and strive to obtain an analytical perspective in order to compare the Cold War and the post-Cold War security policies of Japan in a systematic way.
International Structure and Alliances In a theoretical study on alliance politics, Glenn H. Snyder discusses the impact of the structure of international politics on alliances. According to him, it is easy to exchange allies in a multipolar structure, but in a bipolar structure most of the alliances are defined by the structure itself. In other words, it is not possible to change the alliance partner freely in the bipolar structure.1 And he picked the era from 1945 to 1989, or the Cold War era, as an example of a bipolar structure.2 Therefore, in a bipolar structure, loyalty among allies to each other is strong, the likeliness of being abandoned is relatively low, and the alliance is stable.
On the other hand, in the multipolar structure, according to Snyder, the phenomenon of passing responsibility to the alliance partner (buck- passing) and free ride is more likely to occur.