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Japan’s Security Renaissance: New Policies and Politics for the Twenty-First Century

2018; Oxford University Press; Volume: 18; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/irap/lcy002

1470-4838

Tomohito Shinoda,

Chinese history and philosophy

Is Japan really changing? This question has been frequently debated by Japan study experts, mostly in the political and economic fields. In the security arena, Japan maintained the national security formula crafted by Shigeru Yoshida throughout the Cold War era. At the center of the so-called ‘Yoshida Doctrine’ was a dependence on the alliance with the United States, which allowed for a minimal military rearmament and a focus on economic recovery. Since the end of the Cold War, however, Japan was pressured to play a more important role for international security. In his new book, Japan’s Security Renaissance, Andrew L. Oros argues that during the decade between 2006 and 2016 Japan finally transformed itself out of the Yoshida Doctrine. The transformation in this period is outstanding and irreversible with three developments: the primary opposition party now embraces the US–Japan alliance; the operational role of the Self-Defense Forces has expanded; and a large number of restrictions in security practices have been reformed.