GO256: Conflict in East Asia Professor Walter Hatch Colby College Lecture 16
Foreign Policy of Japan
The Post-WWII Settlement
Article Nine of Constitution (1947) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.
US-Japan Security Treaty (1951) US vowed to defend Japan against enemy attack Japan agreed to let US station military troops on Japanese soil
Economic Superpower and Political Weakling How to explain the persistence of the post-WWII settlement?
Explanation I: The Yoshida Doctrine
Living the Yoshida Doctrine “Omni-directional Foreign Policy” “Separating Economics and Politics”
Explanation II: Japanese Pacifism
Bowing to Pacifism The Three Non-Nuke Principles (1968) No production No possession No introduction Limiting Defense Expenditures (1976) 1% of GDP Comprehensive Security (1980) Yen loans and tech assistance to Asia
Exceptions: LDP Hawks Kishi Nobusuke Nakasone Yasuhiro
Growing Military Expenditures
Big Defense
The First Persian Gulf War
PKO Law (1992)
Post-Cold War: New Directions? Embracing Asia Giving yen Going multilateral Seeking a seat Consolidating the bases? Revising the constitution? Getting stronger? Going nuclear?
Embracing Asia flying geese model
Giving Yen (I) Began as war reparations Yen loans for resource development and infrastructure Tied to use of Japanese contractors
Giving Yen (II)
Going multilateral
Seeking a Seat UN Security Council
Consolidating the Bases?
Revising the Constitution?
Going nuclear?
Rough Relations North Korea South Korea China
North Korea Taepodong Missile Launch
North Korea (continued) Yokota Megumi
South Korea Dokdo or Takeshima
South Korea (continued)
China Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands Military China’s defense spending China’s nuclear testing (1995) Japan-US defense guidelines (1997) Japan’s support for theater missile defense Immigration “Criminal DNA?”
The Burden of History Yasukuni Shrine