Japan's Reaction to a Rising China

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A highly controversial topic in International Relations has been: why are Sino-Japanese relations so controversial and how does this affect Japan’s reaction to a rising China. Relations have been highly controversial because of the security, the economics and the history issues. These issues shape Japan’s foreign policy and there are many arguments regarding how Japan is reacting. For example, some argue that Japan fears China’s growing strength and increasingly assertive foreign policy and as a result Japan has responded by strengthening alliances with the United States and other maritime powers. On the other hand, many also argue that Japan has been remilitarizing to defend its own interests. I argue that Japan is remilitarizing and forming alliances with countries, such as the United States, who are also worried about China’s rising power. This is done in order to protect their interests and prevent China from becoming a hegemonic power.
The first argument states that Japan has strengthened its alliances with the United States and other maritime powers that are also concerned with China’s rising power (Grant 2012, 1). The alliances are needed because Japan is currently constrained by a lethargic economy, an enormous amount of public debt and a weak political system (Grant 2012, 1). They have also adopted a new military strategy that involves more mobile defense forces. Regarding security, Japan is seen as the declining power and China is seen as the rising challenger. Thus, given the growing imbalance of power between China and Japan, alliances, coupled with new military strategies, will become extremely important for Japan’s security (Grant 2012, 2).
On the other hand, many argue that Japan has reacted to China’s rising ...

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...Wiley Central Library. Web. Feb. 2014.
Kokobun, Ryosei. "Sino-Japanese Relations: From the '1972 Framework' to the '2006 Framework'" Sino-Japanese Relations: Rivals or Partners in Regional Cooperation? Singapore: World Scientific, 2013. 169-92. Print.
Takeuchi, Hiroki. "Sino-Japanese Relations: Power, Interdependence, and Domestic Politics."International Relations of the Asia-Pacific 32nd ser. 14.7 (2014): 7-32. Print.
Wan, Ming. Sino-Japanese Relations: Interaction, Logic, and Transformation. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center, 2006. Print.
Weisenthal, Joe. "Ian Bremmer Explains What's REALLY Going On Between China And Japan And The One Issue No One Is Talking About." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 24 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Westad, Odd Arne. "In Asia, Ill Will Runs Deep." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

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