Japan's New Security Legislation: implications for Japanese security strategies and the US-Japan Alliance

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to contextualize the latest developments in Japan's Normalization Process, mainly the New Security Legislation and the revision of the Japan-US guidelines, and to explain how they impacted on Japan's security strategies and on the country's relations with both the US and its neighbouring countries. In order to do so, I provide an overview of how Japan's approach to security and its alliance with the US evolved over the time, by referring to the past literature and official documents made available by the US State Department, Japan's MOFA and MOD. I then examine the content of the new guidelines and legislation and discuss the complexity of Japan's security identity, arguing that changes in Japan's approach cannot be considered the mere result of pressure from abroad, specifically that of the US. On the contrary, I stress the role internal players, mainly the conservative leadership, had in making such pressure effective. In this context, I also discuss how Abe's revisionism risks to challenge the liberal values Japan is trying to convey through its Proactive Contribution to Peace Policy. The picture which emerges is that deterrence through the enactment of the new legislation and guidelines is not enough to provide a comprehensive framework for security and to positively advance Japan's contribution to the international community, if not combined with other socio-cultural strategies addressing for example Japan's history issues.