Japan as a peaceful power: nationalism, balance of threat and the quest for autonomy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2447-7125.ej.49.p100-120Keywords:
Japan, Nationalism, Military, SecurityAbstract
Japan’s proposed increase in its military expenditure reflects a substantial shift in the country’s military and defense policies. Some of the reasons for this militarization are the perceived menaces from Russia, China and North Korea as well as the more proactive foreign policies adopted since the Koizumi (2001-2006) and Abe terms (2006-2007 and 2012-2020). This article aims to analyze Japan’s militarization project in light of nationalism and Japan’s changing balance of threat environment and how this militarization inserts into Japan’s quest for autonomy on the international stage. The argument is that Japan’s militarization is a response to perceived threats and does not constitute an abandonment of the principles laid out by the Yoshida Doctrine and the values-based diplomacy of the Arc of Freedom and Prosperity, given both international and internal constraints regarding the adoption of a more aggressive foreign policy. Moreover, in this context, nationalism is used as a discourse tool in order to position the country as a peaceful nation, aligned with but not dependent on the “West”.
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