Negotiating the US-Japan Alliance: Japan Confidential

摘要

If there is one country that is undergoing unprecedented shifts in its security policies, it is Japan. Speculation was rife that Japan would try and step out of American shadow and play a relatively bigger political role in East Asian affairs once the Cold War came to an end. However, Japan preferred tagging along with the US, at the same time taking initiatives to promote regional multilateralism, under the assumption that it would be a good medium through which to shed the image of a political pygmy while being an economic superpower. The phenomenal rise of China and its increasingly assertive attitude, in general, alarmed Japan, and also came in handy for the right-wing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership under Shinzo Abe to take a series of steps, including attempts to revise Article 9 of the Constitution, long regarded as too sacrosanct. Article 9 may seem symbolic to most, particularly as Japan has one of the most modern armed forces. The amendment, which may happen sooner than one had expected, would be momentous and will have implications for Indo-Pacific security. Already, the 2015 security legislation has lifted the self-imposed restrictions and restraints to possess offensive capabilities (whatever that may mean) and to export arms and advanced technologies (dual-use). This was especially true with respect to Japan's participation in 'collective defence' operation-a euphemism to join hands with the US if it were to get involved in an armed conflict directly or indirectly affecting Japanese security.