The Prospects of Power in the Pacific

Paper Summary:

After World War II, Japan signed a constitution prohibiting it from establishing a military force limited to self-defense and incapable of regional or global power projection. However, in recent years, Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, which prevents it from having a major military force, has been continuously reinterpreted to allow for a greater role for the Japanese military in world affairs. This paper shows that the rising threat that China may pose to Japan's regional preeminence, and Japan's own desires to attain global political and military power to match its economic power may lead Japan to an ever more militarily aggressive foreign policy. What this means for the future of the U.S.-Japanese alliance, and in particular its role as a counterbalance to Chinese assertiveness, is the subject of this paper.

From the Paper:

"Japan faces regional threats not unlike those of the Cold War from China and North Korea, but the most significant change in Japanese foreign policy as it relates to the US-Japanese alliance is in the aspirations of Japan as a nation and its role to the international system. In recent time, Japan has been campaigning to gain a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. The significance of attaining this position is immense firstly because it would put Japan on an equal footing with the other permanent members - the US, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China - and give it veto rights on Security Council resolutions. Many analysts see this as a major step in the equalization of Japan's international economic and political power."

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