Japan’s Major Turning Point on Defense Policy

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• Japan’s Major Turning Point on Defense Policy

• Three new security documents prepared by the Kishida administration mark a new era in Japan’s post-war security strategy.

• under the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), it is vitally important for Japan’s security to cooperate with allies and like-minded countries to ensure peace and stability in the region

• Those countries mentioned in the NSS are the United States, Australia, India, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, and Southeast Asian nations, among others.

• he DBP document will see Japan increase defense spending to 43 trillion yen ($314 billion) from fiscal year 2023 to 202

• This is a 56.5 percent increase from the 27.47 trillion yen in the current five-year plan, which covers fiscal year 2019 to 2023

• Is This a Departure From Japan’s Exclusively Defense-Oriented Policy?

• Government officials also stressed that a counterstrike capability is within the scope of the pacifist Japanese Constitution and international law, and will not change the concept of exclusively defense-oriented policy, called senshu boei in Japanese

• Dualism, especially when intertwined with territorial and historical issues, can lead to a surge of nationalism and patriotism in each country and a loss of self-control.

• true that an ambiguous attitude weakens deterrence against other countries and may increase the risk of conflict. An ambiguous strategy can cause misunderstandings and unexpected conflicts, leading to dangerous situations.

• By contrast, a clear strategy easily spreads to national institutions and enhances the ability to implement policies, and increases internal and external transparency.

• Apparently, by doing so Biden aims to reduce the risk of an emergency in Taiwan. However, there is no consensus on this, even within the United States – critics argue that Biden’s clarity actually increases the risk of a conflict.

• Is China a Threat?

• NSS describes China as “the biggest strategic challenge” for Japan, while the 2013 version of the NSS only called China’s actions an “issue of concern to the international community.”

• The language used for China sharply contrasts with the fact that the NSS this time describes North Korea as “an even more grave and imminent threat to Japan’s national security than ever before.”

• o we need to encourage them to be firmly engaged in the international framework. When considering various aspects such as military, economic, and diplomatic aspects, it is not a good idea to simply use the word ‘threat’ toward China,

• U.S. government in October, China was identified as “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge.”

• National Defense Strategy (NDS) and the Defense Buildup Program (DBP), which were approved along with the NSS at the same time for the first time