Japan has been at a crossroads regarding its defense policies ever since the instatement of Article 9 into its constitution following World War II. Article 9 essentially states that the country may not rearm itself for any reason due to its violently imperialistic nature preceding that war. Even while it was being written, there was heavy debate among American and Japanese politicians alike as to whether or not the article may ever be revoked. Could Japan truly remain a pacifist nation? Would it always be a welfare state under the U.S. government?
Debate over the issue reached its peak following the events of 9/11. Then Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, rallied Japan seeking support for revision to the clause. The United States even supported such a measure, hoping for an even stronger ally in East Asia. The Japanese cabinet went so far as to write new laws in order to allow Self Defense Forces (SDF) to enter Iraq, albeit in a non-military capacity.
Strangely enough, Japan has yet to even begin the revisal of Article 9. Though rearmament seems to be inevitable, as many theorists concede, no one can seem to put their finger on why it has yet to happen. Realists, for example, have been predicting for the past 20 years that Japan would soon rearm (Kang 2003:73). Constructivists have maintained that the pacifist culture would begin to wane with the new generations (Miyashita 2006:4). And still others have looked to the East Asian political climate as the reason for necessity to rearm.
So why has it yet to happen? Some say that it is due to buck passing in the Japanese parliament, others attribute it to the U.S. umbrella over East Asia (Katzenstein, Okawara 2001:3). This paper will examine realist, constructivist and eclectic...
... middle of paper ...
...buo 2001. “Japan, Asian-Pacific Security, and the Need for Analytical Eclecticism” International Security, 26:3. Retrieved October 9th, 2006. Available from Project Muse, Politics and Policy Studies.
Kawasaki, Tsuyoshi 2001. “Postclassical Realism and Japanese Security Policy” The Pacific Review, 14:2. Retrieved October 9th, 2006. Available from EBSCO Host, Military & Government Collection Publications.
Lind, Jennifer M. 2004. “Pacifism or Passing the Buck? Testing Theories of Japanese Security Policy” International Security, 29:1. Retrieved October 9th, 2006. Available from EBSCO Host, Military & Government Collection Publications.
Miyashita, Akitoshi 2006. “Where do norms come from? Foundations of Japan’s Postwar Pacifism” International Relations of the Asia-Pacific. Retrieved October 9th, 2006 (http://irap.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/lci135v1).
Once significant recurring theme affecting Japanese planning for war was the psychology of arrogance ...
The Japanese government believed that the only way to solve its economic and demographic problems was to expand into its neighbor’s territory and take over its import market, mostly pointed at China. To put an end on that the United States put economic sanctions and trade embargoes. We believed that if we cut off their resources and their source of federal income than they would have no choice but to pull back and surrender. But the
Japan led a ruthless assault in the Pacific for fifteen years. This small island was able to spread imperialism and terror to neighboring countries through means of force and brutality. Japan even attempted to combat and overcome European and Western countries such as Russia and the United States. Even with an extreme militaristic government, Japan was unable to achieve the glory it was promised and hoped for. The Pacific War analyzes Japan’s part in the war and what the country could have done to prevent such a tragedy.
Sabin, Burritt. "The War's Legacy [sic]: Dawn of a tragic era", Japan Times, February 8, 2004 (
From around 1920 a democratic movement gained strength. However, amid a global economic crisis, the military came to the fore, and Japan eventually marched down the road to war. With the end of World War II in 1945 Japan put into effect a new Constitution, committed itself to becoming a peace-seeking democracy, and successful in relaunching its economy. In 1956, the nation’s entry into the United Nations was approved.
...feat of Japan in World War 2). With the changes of the nature of power, Japan by balancing out aggressive economic policies and a quiet military buildup, was able to build herself up to become a prominent player in the international sphere today. In closing, while Japan’s policies today in general have been skewered towards the arguments of the ‘Gentleman’, increasingly Japan has considered more realist concerns of security in the escalation of tensions of the East Asian geopolitical sphere. Chomin’s Discourse has nonetheless served as a prophetic blueprint for more than a century of Japan policy-making.
The Gentleman of Western Learning, with his “demands for democracy and peace (p. 28), uses pacifism as a central theme in his arguments. When discussing the use of weapons in Japan, the Gentleman says that, “If we adopt liberty as our army and navy, equality as our fortress, and fraternity as our sword and cannon, who in the world would dare attack us? ... if, on the contrary, we should rely exclusively on our fortresses, swords, cannon, and troops, our opponent would also rely on his” (p. 51). This means that he thinks if Japan uses weapons, their enemies will use weapons as well. In order to avoid violent conflict, the Gentleman proposes that Japan should address other nations with civility as opposed to hostility. Corroborating his argument for democracy, the Gentleman says in regards to the French government, “France’s true strength grew out of the great results of the Revolution in1789” (p. 59). He also relates this to Germany in saying that “until the ideology of the French Revolution reached Germany, the nation was divided into many parts” (60). By saying these things, the Ge...
Most American citizens remember December 7, 1941 and the significance that the incidents of that day had. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a shock to the United States of America and it engaged our country in the Second World War of that century (Pearl, 2009). Unfortunately, due to that incident, many Americans harbor many negative feelings and attitudes towards the country of Japan. While this is an understandable sentiment, it is unnecessary, because Japan is an influence on not on the United States but the entire world. Throughout this paper, we will look at the country of Japan as many have never viewed them before. Their actions of the past are just that, the past. Japan is a thriving and successful country within our environment and it is in our best interest to understand that country better. Japan, as a culture, is the
Tsuzuki, Chushichi. The Pursuit of Power in Modern Japan, 1825-1995. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Questia. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.
Bolotta, Angelo, Dennis Gerrard, Denise Shortt, Charles Hawkes, Fred Jarman, Marc Keirstead, and Jennifer Watt. "Japanese Canadains Come Under Attack." Canada, Face of a Nation. Scarborough, Ont.: Gage Educational Pub., 2000. 170-172. Print.
The Second World War years saw Japan engaged in military operations throughout Asia with many significant victories. The dropping of Atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki however brought Japan to its knees. The once feared and dreaded Japanese armies were defeated. In the years since, both Western and Asian historians have been able to compile detailed records gained from interviews with survivors and from analysis of Japanese documents themselves giving shocking evidence of the scope of atrocities committed by the Japanese armies and government officials. Regardless of their admirable achievements in industry and technology in the 21st century, the Japanese are must still come to ...
So, if Japan does not “belong” to Asia, does it belong to some other amorphous collection of nations, namely Europe or the West? Certainly in the modern post-WWII era Japan has seen phenomenal economic growth, even to the point of threatening the US as the primary global economic power during the height of the “bubble economy.” Some credit this success to the changes implemented during the US occupation. Undoubtedly without US assistan...
...high power status, Japan had to have a self-reliant industrial common ground and be able to move all human and material resources (S,195). Through the Shogun Revolution of 1868, the abolition of Feudalism in 1871, the activation of the national army in 1873, and the assembly of parliament in 1889, the political system of Japan became westernized (Q,3). Local Labor and commercial assistance from the United States and Europe allowed Japan’s industry to bloom into a developed, modern, industrial nation (Q,3). As a consequence production surplus, and food shortage followed (Q,3). Because of how much it relied on aid of western powers, Japan’s strategic position became especially weak. In an attempt to break off slightly from the aid of the west Japanese leaders believed that it would be essential for Japan to expand beyond its borders to obtain necessary raw materials.
Our preliminary class gave a brief, yet detailed outline of major events affecting the East Asian region. Within that class, prompted by our limited geographical knowledge of Asia, we were given a fundamental explanation of the geographical locations of the various events taking place in the region. In subsequent classes, we were introduced to the major wars, political shifts, and economic interests which shaped Japan, China and Korea to what they are today. We examined the paradigm of pre-modern Japanese governance, the Shogunate, and the trained warriors which defended lord and land, Samurai. In addition, we examined the socio-economic classes of Medieval Japan, which included the Samurai, peasants, craftsmen, and the merchants. We also examined pre-1945 Japan’s policies toward foreign entities, notably the Sakoku Policy, which sought to expunge all foreign presence and commerce in an effort to protect its borders and culture. 1945, however, saw ...