They had a fleet of gunboats moored as far as the eye could see.
Posted on 12/23/2022 5:35:33 AM PST by FarCenter
Realist international relations scholars predicted that after the Cold War Japan would revert to its “normal” position in the global hierarchy of great powers. In a seminal 1993 article, Kenneth Waltz asserted that “much in Japan’s institutions and behavior supports the proposition that it will once again take its place among the great powers.”
According to most realist theorists, this entailed the reacquisition of archetypical great power military capabilities and an independent nuclear deterrent. But after decades passed and this prediction failed to eventuate, Japan specialists searched for explanations.
They settled on Japan’s national identity as a “global civilian power” and its “nuclear allergy“— a consequence of the atomic bombings of World War II.
In his new book, leading scholar on Japanese security policy Christopher Hughes characterized Japan as a “global” military power. He claims that “Japan is demonstrating all the indicators of becoming a more capable military actor and of going not just regional but also global in its military profile.”
No claim to be a global military power is credible without the requisite defense capabilities. Hughes’ previous work tracked the steady remilitarization of Japan. This began in the 1950s when the Japan Self-Defense Forces were established and continued with periods of acceleration under former prime ministers Yasuhiro Nakasone, Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe.
Koizumi explicitly spoke of becoming a “normal” country — implying that not being a great power was a condition of abnormality to be remedied. Abe certainly believed this when he affirmed that “Japan will never become a tier two country.” Under the “Abe doctrine“, Hughes argues that the process is reaching fruition.
Japan appears to be transforming into something more like the normal great power that realists predicted decades ago. The country has acquired many necessary accouterments of typical great powers.
The increased centralization of security policy and the establishment of a National Security Council and National Security Advisor emulate the organizational structure and procedures of other great powers.
Japan has restructured its defense architecture and stated it will build a Multi-Domain Defense Force that will allow it to respond to threats from land, sea, air, space, cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum.
Someday the Japanese will go TORA! TORA! TORA! on the Chinese Navy and their manmade islands.
Japan rightly sees the US as no longer capable of protecting them - that simple.
Or the Chicoms have bought Japan...
Anyone else still wondering about Abe’s assassination...
A country which adamantly refuses to protect its own borders cannot be relied upon to protect the borders of Japan.
They'll go after Russia first and get Sakhalin back. Then they'll race the Chinese to get Vladivostok.
“A country which adamantly refuses to protect its own borders cannot be relied upon to protect the borders of Japan.”
I’m just surprised it took them that long to catch on...but glad they finally did. And thing about Japan is when they put their mind to something, they get SERIOUS about it.
They had a fleet of gunboats moored as far as the eye could see.
“They had a fleet of gunboats moored as far as the eye could see.”
Nice. I know that they did get FAR MORE done with their relatively small defense budget than any other Western country, by a long shot.
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