The Glacier Moves: Japan's Response to U.S. Security Policies
Abstract
The Bush administration s efforts to forge a stronger political-military partnership with Japan have enjoyed some success, thanks largely to a positive response by Prime Minister Koizumi. The greatest progress has been in the war on terrorism, the most notable accomplishment is of which Japan s unprecedented Indian Ocean naval deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While this move signals an important shift in Japanese attitudes toward acceptance of collective defense and military force, Japan s metamorphosis into the Britain of East Asia is at best a distant prospect. Japan is in no hurry to accept the legitimacy of collective defense, preferring incremental steps in this direction camouflaged by formal adherence to its long-standing self-defense only position. As suggested by Tokyo s waffling on missile defense, moreover, Japan is divided over how best to ensure its national security and there is no consensus in favor of a closer strategic embrace with the United States. None of this necessarily precludes Japan s continued evolution over time into a normal country in political-military terms and a stronger, more self-confident American ally. The process of strengthening the political-military partnership between the United States and Japan is likely to remain frustratingly slow and equivocal; U.S. policymakers would be well advised to discard expectations of rapid change. The danger lies in overestimating Japan s current ability and willingness to step up to the plate on collective defense in the event of a full-blown military crisis in northeast Asia.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA592232
Entities
People
- John Miller
Organizations
- Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies