1st Edition
Japan and the IISS Connecting Western and Japanese Strategic Thought from the Cold War to the War on Ukraine
Strategic links between Japan and Europe during the Cold War were limited. During this period the IISS helped bridge the gap between the two, exposing its membership base to the international affairs of Asia and Japan and providing Japanese scholars, strategists and diplomats with a platform from which to amplify their voices in the West. Analyses by these experts often appeared in IISS publications, but the Institute also gained key insights through its well-established conferences and lecture series. These initiatives illuminated Japanese strategic thinking and perspectives on contemporary critical issues in Japan’s and Asia’s foreign, security and defence policy.
This Adelphi book, through its collection of earlier analysis, helps the reader to understand the evolution of Japanese strategic thought from the 1960s until today, and shines a light on the continuities and changes in this thinking. New, original analysis of the material seeks to identify areas where such thinking was prescient and remains relevant to the contemporary strategic environment, and other areas where predictions failed or assumptions were proved wrong. These new essays were also informed by interviews of Japanese senior scholars and diplomats who spent time with the IISS. This book seeks to frame, educate and guide strategic thinking on the most pressing issues of today, both in and outside Japan and Asia, and will be of great interest to analysts, practitioners and students of international affairs.
Editors’ Note
Contributors
Acknowledgements
Map: East Asia
Foreword
Sir John Chipman KCMG
Introduction
Robert Ward
Chapter One: Japan’s bridging role between Asia and the West
Hosoya Yuichi
Chapter Two: The role of the IISS in bridging Japanese and Western strategic thinking
Yuka Koshino and Matthieu Lebreton
1960s
Timeline of events (1945–1960s)
Chapter Three: The Japanese attitude towards China
Ogata Sadako
Chapter Four: American–Japanese relations
Matsumoto Shigeharu
Chapter Five: The Asian balance of power: a comparison with European precedents
Royama Michio
Chapter Six: The non-proliferation treaty and Japan
Imai Ryukichi
1970s
Timeline of events
Chapter Seven: Japan’s security in a multipolar world
Saeki Kiichi
Chapter Eight: Japan’s non-nuclear policy
Kishida Junnosuke
Chapter Nine: Options for Japan’s foreign policy
Kosaka Masataka
Chapter Ten: The energy problem and alliance systems: Japan
Momoi Makoto
Chapter Eleven: Naval competition and security in East Asia
Uchida Kazutomi
1980s
Timeline of events
Chapter Twelve: The changing security circumstances in the 1980s
Satoh Yukio
Chapter Thirteen The 1984 Alastair Buchan Memorial Lecture
Nakasone Yasuhiro
Chapter Fourteen: Japanese security policy: address by Mr Tadashi Kuranari, foreign minister of Japan, 8 September 1986 (excerpts)
Kuranari Tadashi
Chapter Fifteen: East Asia, the Pacific and the West: strategic trends and implications: part II
Kosaka Masataka
Chapter Sixteen: The security of north-east Asia: part I
Nishihara Masashi
Chapter Seventeen: Prospects for security co-operation between East Asia and the West
Okawara Yoshio
1990s
Timeline of events
Chapter Eighteen: Japan’s role in international affairs
Inoguchi Takashi
Chapter Nineteen: What role for Europe in Asian affairs?
Takahashi Fumiaki
Chapter Twenty: Rethinking Japan–US relations: security issues
Sasae Kenichiro
Chapter Twenty-One: Identities and security in East Asia
Bessho Koro
2000–2020s
Timeline of events
Chapter Twenty-Two: China debates missile defence
Urayama Kori
Chapter Twenty-Three: Great-power relations in Asia: a Japanese perspective
Okamoto Yukio
Chapter Twenty-Four: The 13th IISS Asia Security Summit – the Shangri-La Dialogue: keynote address
Abe Shinzo
Chapter Twenty-Five: ‘We are all small countries now’: IISS 2019 Alastair Buchan Lecture
Funabashi Yoichi
Chapter Twenty-Six The 19th Regional Security Summit – the Shangri-La Dialogue: keynote address
Kishida Fumio
Index
Biography
Robert Ward is the IISS Japan Chair and leads the Institute’s Geo-economics and Strategy research programme, which focuses on a range of issues including global economic governance, rules and standards setting, and how economic coercion impacts policy at a national and corporate level.
Yuka Koshino is a Research Fellow for Security and Technology Policy at the IISS where she carries out independent research on the impact of emerging technologies on security. Her research contributes both to the Defence and Military Analysis Programme and the Japan Chair Programme.
Matthieu Lebreton was a Research Assistant for the Japan Chair Programme at the IISS between January 2022 and June 2023.
‘This notable book collects and considers important articles and speeches on strategic questions by Japanese prime ministers, diplomats, journalists and scholars. It serves as a historical record of Japan’s evolving strategic thought over the past six decades. It will be of great interest to anyone interested in Japan’s transition since 1945 into a peaceful nation and then an international power as the sole Asian member of the G7; as well as Tokyo’s more recent geopolitical adaptations in response to China’s rise as an economic and military challenge.’
Professor Nishihara Masashi, former President, Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) and former President, National Defense Academy
‘This authoritative work is a must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of Japanese strategic thought and how Japan sees itself in the world. The careful curation of articles from each era, alongside excellent introductory chapters, results in an engaging and insightful work. With the signing of the Hiroshima Accord, the work of the IISS and the deep understanding and knowledge codified in this work have never been more vital.’
Michael Rivera King, Chief Executive, The Japan Society
