Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Japan Steps Up - Foreign Affairs
Japan Steps Up - Foreign Affairs
Japan Steps Up
How Asia’s Rising Threats Convinced Tokyo to
Abandon Its Defense Taboos
BY JENNIFER LIND
December 23, 2022
JENNIFER LIND is Associate Professor of Government at Dartmouth College and a
Faculty Associate at the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard
University.
This military restraint has been at the core of Japanese national security
policy since World War II. During the Cold War, successive Japanese
governments quashed the military’s influence in politics and shied away
from military statecraft. The United States frequently pressured Tokyo to
spend more and do more, and some conservatives in the country’s
dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) favored boosting defense
capabilities. But such calls ran into Japan’s postwar concept of “defensive
defense,” according to which its military should be configured for self-
defense and should eschew offensive capabilities and missions. This
doctrine is grounded in the constitution and other legislation and has
been defended by wary opposition parties and the Japanese public. Japan’s
highly restrained security policy created several taboos and redlines about
power projection—placing prohibitions, for example, on long-range
missiles, amphibious capabilities, and aircraft carriers.
Over the years, at times of rising threat, Tokyo has occasionally revised its
ideas about defensive versus offensive roles and capabilities. For example,
after North Korea test-fired a missile over Japan in 1998, Tokyo decided
to acquire military satellites, which it had previously considered an
unlawful militarization of space. Japan now has small aircraft carriers and
a marine corps. But the nation’s defensive policy has remained broadly
fixed.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/print/node/1129765 2/6
7/3/23, 11:18 Japan Steps Up | Foreign Affairs
DANGERS IN ASIA
Formidable new challenges in Asia are responsible for Japan’s historic
shift. China is engaged in a major buildup in both conventional and
nuclear weapons. Chinese aircraft and military vessels make frequent
military incursions into Japanese waters and around islands disputed with
Japan. Beijing increasingly menaces Taiwan—whose democracy Japan
celebrates and whose autonomy Japan regards as crucial for its own
security. As China’s military threats grow, its government stokes anti-
Japanese nationalism, emphasizing Japanese atrocities in World War II.
North Korea has grown more threatening, too. It has increased the pace
of missile testing: conducting 86 tests this year, compared with a previous
high of 26 in 2019. Japanese citizens are becoming accustomed to hearing
screaming sirens and announcements telling them to take shelter, as
North Korean missiles sail through their airspace. Since 2006, Pyongyang
has conducted six nuclear tests, with experts warning of a seventh. From
an arsenal that used to contain only a handful of small fission bombs,
North Korea is making real progress toward developing vastly more
powerful thermonuclear weapons, and has recently changed its nuclear
doctrine to allow preemptive strikes and tactical nuclear weapons use on
the battlefield.
The war in Ukraine has also shifted Japanese perceptions. Public opinion
has strongly supported the sanctions effort against Russia, and Ukraine’s
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/print/node/1129765 3/6
7/3/23, 11:18 Japan Steps Up | Foreign Affairs
successful defense against the invasion has driven home the message of
the need for military preparedness against possible aggression.
Second, China and North Korea’s growing missile capabilities are leading
Tokyo to shift from relying solely on missile defense to also embracing
“counterstrike” capabilities. In the event of a war in Korea or Taiwan, the
adversary would likely target Japanese bases to knock out key airfields
used by U.S. forces. Given the buildup of missile capabilities in both
China and North Korea, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other
Japanese leaders fear that Japan’s existing missile defenses are no longer
adequate. So the government is turning to the counterstrike concept.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/print/node/1129765 4/6
7/3/23, 11:18 Japan Steps Up | Foreign Affairs
Japan 500 Tomahawk missiles, which would allow Japan to reach targets
across North Korea and in nearby parts of China. Washington has agreed
to the sale; U.S. President Joe Biden called Tokyo a “high priority buyer.”
Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Forces are also working on extending the
range of their Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, with the updated versions
expected to deploy in 2026.
Today’s changes are motivated by protection, not ambition. They are being
negotiated transparently among coalition partners, before a watchful and
dovish public. At least from the perspective of the United States and its
partners, Japan’s moves are good news and signal a greater contribution by
a peaceful country to security in Asia.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/print/node/1129765 6/6