Japan at the Crossroads Armaments and Independence.
Abstract
As a result of the concurrence of changes in the strategic environment in Northeast Asia and the severe economic recession in the defense industries, the Japanese are at a crossroads in the formation of their future defense and foreign policies. From 1867 to the present time Japan has pursued a low key foreign policy which prohibits the exportation of weaponry. This policy was possible only because of the Japanese reliance on the defense umbrella of the United States and the continuing prosperity of the Japanese economy. It is the hypothesis of this thesis that the original force of the ban on arms export is beginning to erode as the twin premises on which the policy was based are in the process of change. Evidences of this erosion are examined with a view to determining whether the variations are temporary and isolated or whether they are manifestations of a growing consensus advocating new directions as a basis for permanent policy. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA097271
Entities
People
- Peter Raymond Smith
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School