Japan adopted a new legislation in 2016 which indicated a shift in Japanese security and foreign policy. Since the end of World War 2, the Japanese constitution has renounced war, threat, or use of force as a means of settling international disputes with other nations. Possessing military capabilities for anything other than self-defense were also restricted. This has caused several implications for Japan's foreign policy. While it allowed for more resources to be allocated to the reconstruction of the country after World War 2, Japan could never send its troops abroad to defend Japanese nationals or allies. However, that changed in 2014 when Shinzo Abe and his government began working on reinterpreting the constitution leading to the 2015 defense legislation “Legislation for Peace and Security” which allowed Japan for the first time in 70 years to send troops overseas to its allies for collective self-defense. This study is an analysis of the decision making process behind the Japanese foreign policy decision to expand its military’s capabilities and international cooperation. This study utilises foreign policy analysis to analyse both domestic and international factors which could have contributed to the Japanese foreign policy decision. This study's conclusions were based on several factors: Firstly, the change in the geopolitical landscape in East Asia as a result of an emerging China and the beheading of two Japanese journalists, highlighted the restrictions imposed by article 9. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces wouldn’t be able to cooperate militarily with its allies, nor could it help its nationals abroad. With the help of its majorities in both the upper and lower houses of the National Diet, Abe’s government was able to expand the capabilities of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces whilst still maintaining Japan’s pacifist security policy. The Legislation for Peace and Security was perceived to not challenge the decades of Japanese pacifism whilst strengthening Japan's military capabilities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:liu-181168 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Nordenberg, Isak |
| Publisher | Linköpings universitet, Statsvetenskap |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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