The Realist’s Puzzle: Japan’s Post-Cold War Defense Policy

The article examines the Realists’ analysis of Japan’s defense policy, which holds that it is geared to making Japan into a “normal state”—a state that sees military power as a necessary and central feature of its overall national capabilities, and views power politics as an accepted feature of interstate relations. The following variables are assessed: the Japanese state’s definition of the country’s role in the postcold war era; Japan’s state policy with regard to the relationship of its economic status to its military capability; policy on Japanese defense institutions; and the government’s policy with regard to security relations with its foremost military ally, the United States. After analyzing these four variables, the article asserts that Japan’s approach to international security assumes a totally different form since it minimizes the military dimension and emphasizes what it calls the “soft power” element and, more importantly, its alliance with the United States. The article concludes that although Japan maintains a modern defense force, it is extremely reluctant to develop an independent defense policy vis-à-vis the United States and to play the game of middle-power geopolitics.