Examination of Japan Security Policy
Student’s Name
Institution
Tutor
Date
Abstract
Japan is one of the most populated nations in the world. Due to their populations, they are making several efforts to ensure security of its citizens and its surroundings. Because of that reason, the country has developed a comprehensive and sophisticated notional policy they are using to maintain peace in their territories. The Japan’s security policy is grounded on the attempts on the non-creation and disarmament of nuclear weapons. Japan has always followed the direction of peace-loving nation since the period of the Cold War. One of the efforts Japan is making to ensure its national peace and that of the international community is participation in the peacemaking operations of the United nations. Japan also collaborates with other nations such as US and Europe to ensure its security.
Keywords: Cold War; Security policy, peace maintenance.
Examination of Japan Security Policy
Introduction
Japan is one of the most popular countries in the world. It has a fast-growing economy. It is one of the most densely urbanized and populated nations. Its capital city, Japan, has over 37 million residents. Because of its high population and economic growth, it is one of the countries with the world’s most sophisticated security policy. In the modern world, there is a gradual change in the power balance because of globalization. Therefore, countries need to ensure their security and peace as well as their survival. Nations also need to uphold the global order based on international rules and values. The security milieu around Japan has increasingly become harsh as characterized by the missile and nuclear development by the neighboring countries such as Korea. International threats based on the development and progress in technology such as cyber-attacks and transnational terrorism have also been enhanced. Therefore, Japan had to improve and intensify its national security policy to reduce all potential threats.
In the modern world, no country can preserve its security and peace alone. Japan as a nation has participated to the maximum possible extent in the attempts of restoring and maintaining international security and peace. The country has been involving itself in the operations of the United Nations that maintains peace (Katzenstein, 2008). The Japan Government has been making attempts to enhance its security policy to develop a peaceful nation. The efforts on the security policy of japan include the creation of the National security council, the implementation of the strategy of National security, and the adoption of the guidelines of the National Defense Programs. Japan made these attempts based on the idea that it is a nation actively promoting peace (Katzenstein, 2008). The Government of Japan believes that they need to participate more vigorously in the stability and peace of the nation and the global community. Japan as a nation can only achieve its interest of promoting international peace and stability through proper coordination with other countries such as the United States.
Since the end of the Second World War, Japan has always followed the direction of a peace-loving country. Through this direction, they have been attaining stability and peace in their continent as well as the world community (Singh, 2008). The paths that base the security policy of Japan include; development collaboration grounded on the human security guiding principle. Japan is giving development Helpance collaboration distinctive to the nation based on the attempts to attain the objectives of the Millennium Development. The organization has helped many Asian countries to achieve democracy, growth of economy, and stability. Japan provides this Helpance based on the human security principle. Another path grounding the security policy of Japan is tackling the global problems (Pugliese & Patalano, 2020). The country Japan has been actively tackling a wide range of international challenges such as climate change, international issues on the environment, poverty, reduction in disaster risks, sanitation and water, issues concerning women, education, health, and agriculture. Similarly, it has taken leadership in global law-making and help capacity building in underdeveloped nations. Through this, Japan contributes to the prosperity and peace of the region and the global community.
Furthermore, the security policy of Japan is based on the attempts on the non-creation and disarmament of nuclear weapons. The Japanese defense sector has the objective of establishing a nuclear-weapons-free world. To achieve that objective, Japan is on the lead to a debate on the non-creation and disarmament of nuclear in the global community (Singh, 2002). The country is on the frontline in the plan against nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The government has presented to the United Nations general assembly a draft solution regarding the non-creation and demilitarization of nuclear. It is pushing for the Nuclear Test Ban agreement to enter into force. The country is also playing an essential role in the areas of nuclear weapon security and control of conventional weapons such as light weapons and small arms.
Besides, the self-Defense Force (SDF) of Japan is proactively participating to ensure the peace and stability of the international community. The SDF of Japan has been in the frontline participation to guarantee the international community security since it conducted operations involving mine disposal in the Persian Gulf ((Pugliese & Patalano, 2020). The contribution of Japan in the peacekeeping operations of the UN, relief activities of global disaster, reconstruction and humanitarian Helpance in Iraq, and the renewal support behaviors in the Indian Ocean are some of the examples. In the current years, the Self-Defense Force conducted e activities of anti-piracy in the Aden Gulf and relief attempts at the Typhoon time in the Philippines involving about one thousand personnel of SDF. The activities earned the Self-Defense Force the global community trust.
For the period of the Cold War, selected policymakers of japan tried to separate the national security of Japan from the larger international and regional security environment. Whereas the interdependence concept was established securely and firmly in the economic policy, the security policy of Japan was not like that. The leadership of Japan during the Cold War period concentrated on lessening the impact of the international environments that are possess a threat to the nation. The mitigation strategy was achieved through enhancing the capabilities of its national defense and depending on the US for security assurance against global threats (Fukushima & Samuels, 2028). Consequently, the security policy at that particular time was restricted to maintenance of order in the country and protection of the borders of the nation. Japan’s security policy also supplemented United States forces in the incident of an international threat on the country and its interests that are economically based. The primary obligation of the Self-Defense Force is to prevent a small scale and limited hostility against the national territorial integrity of Japan. That mandate was also an indication of a confined national security definition. The SDF’s obligation was further strengthened by the resolution of the upper house that prohibited the overseas dispatch of the troops from Japan and partaking in joint security plans.
During Cold War, there were efforts to enlarge the narrow national security concept. The attempts were mainly through the expansion of the responsibilities and roles of Japan in the Japan-US security relationship. For instance, the two nations signed a Japan-US Defense Cooperation rule that gave Japan the approval to enlarge its military contribution from limited operations to the country’s island to designed processes to guarantee stability and peace in the continent. Japan, through its Prime Minister, accepted the newly assigned roles of patrolling communication sea-lines up to a thousand sailing miles from the coast of Japan. Nevertheless, these efforts had subtle military effects on the narrow conception of Japan concerning national security (Singh, 2002). The guideline signing came in the détente period of the Cold War battle, therefore, decreasing the entanglement fear of the Japanese in reference to the United States Cold War battles. Furthermore, the SDF of Japan had previously scheduled to patrol the SLOC of Japan to guarantee the movement of oil and other essential raw materials. Japan’s SDF claimed that the acceptance of the new responsibility through their Prime Minister was related largely to local politics than to geo-tactical necessities. The enhancements that signaled the functional and geographical enlargement of the security responsibility of Japan together with military from the US were beautifying alterations to the security policy of Japan mainly based on economic and not strategic or military considerations. Japan’s security policy continued to be formed based on the narrow concept of national security in the time of the Cold War.
Contrasting to the Cold War period, the security policies made after the Cold War were developed based on the idea that it must participate globally in economic affairs and security activities. Japan’s important security goal has been the controlling of fluid security in the global security environment. Japan as a nation should start as a significant power in the world. This means that Japan should have participated in the establishment of the new global order in collaboration with other international associates such as Europe and the US (Bush, 2002). This habit has been embraced by every government of Japan established after the Cold War period. The strategy has led to the steady enlargement in Japan’s security responsibility in international security activities.
The custom related to global participation in security activities was a result of the experience of Japan in the Persian Gulf Crisis in ’91. The Persian crisis reestablished the uncertainty element in global activities. It reminded the global community, such as Japan, that military use continued to be an essential act in international dealings in the period after the Cold War. Besides, it showed that the crisis resolution had a good chance of involving joint collaboration via military means by the global community members. The resultant impact of the Persian Crisis demonstrated to the policymakers of Japan that any enlargement of international participation of Japan above its modest strategy of the economy would arise in the activities of military policy (Singh, 2008). The effect will come mainly in terms of military workforce participation in global efforts. Therefore, Japan has a role of promoting via military means. Japan is intensely cognizant of the need to carry out efficient manpower collaboration as well as execution of material and financial partnership, as it learned from the involvement with the Persian battle.
As the custom to participation to the global community raced into its state revelation, the security role of Japan extended in two areas parts peacemaking operations of the United Nations and improved the Japan-US collaboration with the two-pronged security relation framework. This is because the promotion of the Japanese government of the global-state security distinctiveness is grounded on the relationship between the constitution of Japan, the US-Japan security agreement, and the United Nations Charter. Japan has a mandate as a member country of the United Nations (Fukushima & Samuels, 2018). The security agreement states the charter of the United Nations. Japan’s constitution, in its introduction, says that Japan as a nation needs to a decent place in a global society determined for peace preservation.
In relation to UN peacemaking operations, the significant moment for the security policy of Japan was the implementation of the International Peace Collaboration Rule (the law regarding collaboration for UN peacemaking Activities) in ‘92. The rule introduced a that resulted to the Self-Defense Force dispatch and other people abroad to contribute in UN obligated global relief and peace attempts (Singh, 2002). The SDF team was dispatched to nations such as Mozambique, Cambodia, Timor-Lester, and many other nations. Due to the achievement of the peacemaking mission of SDF, the Government of Japan is looking to implement an enduring rule that would approve the contribution of Self-Defense Force in enhanced missions that include those not obligated by the United Nations.
The enlargement of the security roles of Japan has happened largely in the framework of Japan-US security collaboration. The security roles of Japan have enhanced after the signing of the US-Japan joint security declaration in ’96. In ’99, the Japanese diet passed the regulations for US-Japan Defense Collaboration. Through the Japan-US agreement cooperation in 2005 October, the Japan-US relationship was further reaffirmed. Future realignment and transformation also advanced the security roles of japan SDF. Even though the responsibility of Japan is supportive in feature, its roles have advanced in the following ways: first, it has enlarged with respect to the reinforced mutual collaboration with the US in matters including sharing of intelligence, coordination of policy, humanitarian relief, and peacekeeping activities, joint planning and development of common procedures and standards, and mutual alterations in the parts of military equipment and technology. Second, in the reviewed standards for defense collaboration, the security role of Japan has advanced to offering support to the United States military in times of emergencies (Matsuda, 2020). During crises, the revised defense standards approve the Self Defense Force to provide rear-area logistic support (provisions) to the US military, carry out rear-area rescue and search activities, provision of fuels and other essential products, and carry out rescue activities for military people in circumstances that do not use military force or engross a force threat. Moreover, Japan-US joint mutual collaboration was amplified via Japan’s decision to engage in a bilateral investigation with the US in the TMD project and the active contribution of Japan in both the OIF and OEF as a section of battle led by the US against terrorism.
Furthermore, the advancement of the security responsibility of Japan has directly affected the Self-Defense Force identity and obligation since the 90s. Besides national protection, the global dimensions have been supplemented to the obligation of the Self-Defense Force in the form of a participation to minimize the occurrence of a new security threat by upholding the stability and peace of the international and local security milieu. The role of SDF has enlarged to comprise contribution to UN peacemaking operations, minesweeping operations (Givens, Busch, & Bersin, 2018), contribution in a global attempt that on OEF (Collective self-defense), and contribution in reconstructing humanitarian activities while the battle was still proceeding. Moreover, SDF is no longer designed to tackle threats from global states, and they also address the risks from non-state actors. The enhancements have concurred with the enhanced significance of the agency of defense in the national government indicated by the enhancement of the agency of defense to become a ministry in early 2007.
The significant turning point of the changing defense and security policies of Japan was marked in 12013 December. Whereas the arguments about the security normalization of Japan have been continuing for more than ten years now, the conventional government led by Abe from 2012 has interpreted any disbelief that might be lingering with respect to the questions (How, why, and what) that may arise concerning the national security of Japan. This was achieved through publicizing three documents related to national security. The administration of Abe in late 2013 approved the first strategy for national security (Liff, 2015). In the same year, they also adopted the new national security policy for the country comprising guidelines for federal defense programs and Mid-Term defense programs. The two documents that were publicized by the government replaced the National Defense Program Guidelines of 2010. Focused on the guideline of active participation in peace promotion, the National Security Strategy sets out the main rules for the national security of Japan for the many years to come, comprising energy, areas around the sea, and the outer space. The NSS also pursues to enhance both globally and domestically a better knowledge of the strategic response and objectives of the nation.
Even though Japan is one of the nations with the most sophisticated security policy, the homeland security policy approach is far better than Japan’s national security policy. This is because even after the Cold War period, Japan could not uphold its peace and that of the surrounding environment. It depended entirely on the United States as its core element. Japan’s national security was supportive in nature (Kim, 2011). That is, they supported the US military troops during their led wars. They were only given minor responsibilities such as conducting search and rescue operations for the US military when there was a minimal military threat or when there was no use of military force. In the modern world, the United States continues to be an essential component in Japan’s security policies and the outline of its global state identity for security. The US remains to be a guarantor of the national security of Japan against nuclear and conventional threats (Givens, Busch, & Bersin, 2018). The Japan-US relation is highly recognized by the government of Japan as an essential channel for Japan to enlarge its security responsibilities in global and local security activities (Hughes, 2015). Due to the relationship between the United States and Japan has resulted in the advancement of the military responsibility of the Japanese troop, it has also increased the functions and responsibilities to tackle the irregularities in its relation with the Cold War. The Japanese security policy cannot stand alone. It depends on several factors for its survival.
Conclusion
In summary, Japan is one of the nations with a comprehensive national security policy. The complexity in their security policy aims at upholding peace in the nation and its surroundings. The countries must make an effort to maintain peace and reducing security threats at the global level to ensure their survival. Japan as a nation has been involving itself in the UN peacekeeping operations. Their government is in the frontline to make attempts to enhance their national security policy for them to establish a peaceful state. Their turning point was marked in 2013 when they adopted their first national security strategy. Since then, the Government of Japan has been making efforts to maintain peace both at a regional and international level. Although Japan has a stronger and complicated security policy, the Homeland Security Policy is still better. This is because the homeland security policy can exist on its own.
References
Bush, G. W. (2002). The national security strategy of the United States of America. Executive Office Of The President Washington DC.
Fukushima, M., & Samuels, R. J. (2018). Japan’s National Security Council: filling the whole of government?. International Affairs, 94(4), 773-790.
Givens, A. D., Busch, N. E., & Bersin, A. D. (2018). Going global: The international dimensions of US homeland security policy. Journal of Strategic Security, 11(3), 1-34.
Hughes, C. (2015). Japan’s Foreign and Security Policy Under the ‘Abe Doctrine’: New Dynamism or New Dead End?. Springer.
Katzenstein, P. J. (2008). Rethinking Japanese security: internal and external dimensions. Routledge.
Kim, H. W. (2011). Security Culture and the Post-Cold War Japanese Security Policy. Korean journal of defense analysis, 23(1), 93-115.
Liff, A. P. (2015). Japan’s defense policy: Abe the evolutionary. The Washington Quarterly, 38(2), 79-99.
Matsuda, T. (2020). Explaining Japan’s post-Cold War security policy trajectory: maritime realism. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 74(6), 687-703.
Pugliese, G., & Patalano, A. (2020). Diplomatic and security practice under Abe Shinzō: the case for Realpolitik Japan. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 74(6), 615-632.
Singh, B. (2002). Japan’s post-Cold War security policy: bringing back the normal state. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 82-105.
Singh, B. (2008). Japan’s security policy: from a peace state to an international state. Pacific Review, 21(3), 303-325.
