IV. Japan’s national defence policy reforms

Chapter:

7. Trends in East Asian security

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2015

Author(s):

Mathieu Duchâtel, Oliver Bräuner, Katharina Seibel

In light of increasing security concerns related to China and North Korea, Japan began reforming its national defence policy under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2012.¹ Japan’s current defence programmes reinforce its missile defence capability and address China’s rising air- and sea-power capabilities. Furthermore, Japan is adjusting its force structure and deployment patterns to deter China from seizing the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, while simultaneously renegotiating the terms of its defence cooperation with the United States. In July 2014 Japan reinterpreted Article 9 of its constitution to establish a right to collective self-defence, a move that provides greater support to US military operations in Asia. Significantly, in March 2014, the Abe administration decided to end Japan’s decade-long ban on weapon exports in order to support the domestic defence industry as well as US allies that have territorial disputes with China. Japan’s ambitious effort to reform its national defence policy is perceived in China—and in certain circles in South Korea—as a process of remilitarization that may potentially present a long-term national security threat. Furthermore, the reluctance of the Abe administration to apologize for Japanese atrocities committed during the World War II against China and Korea does not help to ease regional tensions.