Is Japan on a path towards assuming a greater military role internationally, or has the recent military normalisation ground to a halt since the premiership of Junichiro Koizumi? In this book, Christopher W. Hughes assesses developments in defence expenditure, civil–military relations, domestic and international military–industrial complexes, Japan’s procurement of regional and global power-projection capabilities, the expansion of US–Japan cooperation, and attitudes towards nuclear weapons, constitutional revision and the use of military force.
In all of these areas, dynamic and long-term changes outweigh Japan’s short-term political logjam over security policy. Hughes argues that many post-war constraints on Japan’s military role are still eroding, and that Tokyo is moving towards a more assertive military role and strengthened US–Japan cooperation. Japan’s remilitarisation will boost its international security role and the dominance of the US–Japan alliance in regional and global security affairs, but will need to be carefully managed if it is not to become a source of destabilising tensions.
Introduction 1. The Trajectory of Japan’s Remilitarisation 2. Japan’s Military Doctrine, Expenditure and Power Projection 3. The Transformation of Civilian Control 4. Japan’s Military-Industrial Complex 5. Japan’s External Military Commitments 6. The Erosion of Japan’s Anti-militaristic Principles Conclusion: Japan’s remilitarisation: implications and future directions Appendix: Tables and charts
Biography
Christopher W. Hughes is Professor of International Politics and Japanese at the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, UK. He was previously a Research Fellow at the University of Hiroshima, and Asahi Shimbun Visiting Professor of Mass Media and Politics in the Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo. In 2009–10 he will be the Edwin O. Reischauer Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at the Department of Government/Reischauer Institute, Harvard University. His publications include Japan’s Re-emergence as a ‘Normal’ Military Power (Adelphi 368–9).
'...an informative read and a great way to update one's knowledge' - Martin Laflamme, Far Eastern Economic Review
'This book is a rare find among recent publications, in that it comprehensively deals with the controversial topic of Japan’s remilitarization [...] It contains insightful points throughout, based on careful conceptualization and rich research work.' - Pacific Affairs, Volume 84, No. 1 – March 2011
"Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels." - S. C. Hart, CHOICE (February 2010)
