Japan’s Soft Power Approach to Security

Well, they don't want to be forced into, um, you know, fighting anybody. Again, I think there's a deeply pacifist aspect to post–World War II Japan, in that its primary tools for dealing with conflict are diplomacy, overseas development aid, compromise, and—again—working with the United States and countries with similar interests to try and deincentivize aggressive states or expansive states from doing what they're doing.

Would they fight alongside the United States? I think, Adam, it really depends on what the fight is. If it's over the Philippines, I'm not so sure. If, you know, Okinawa was attacked, I think Japan would, you know, have to defend itself alongside the U.S. But it's a little bit more complicated than just fighting with the U.S.

Remember, Japan has this pacifist constitution. It’s called Article 9. It’s given up the right to use force as an instrument of foreign policy. And even the recent security changes in Japan back in 2015, allowing for collective defense—defending the U.S.—are only under certain circumstances.

So in a sense, I think President Trump’s view that there are some incongruencies with the U.S.'s commitment to defending Japan—and vice versa—and that this needs to be more ironed out... well, fortunately, I think Japanese political leaders and those in the security establishment understand these problems, and they’re trying to work through them. But they need to get the public on their side.

And I think, you know, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea’s launching of ICBMs, and of course, China’s assertive behavior across the Taiwan Strait, in and around the Senkaku Islands, and its assertive behavior in the South China Sea—has all been, um, fuel for the fire in terms of making Japanese people understand how serious the security concerns are.

And as a result, back in 2022, the new National Security Strategy—which is now the old National Security Strategy—committed to doubling defense spending by 2027 to 2% of GDP. Which is a lot, if you're thinking about Japan. That's about $120 billion. Um, it still pales in comparison to China, which is spending about $250 billion a year—at least, that's the official number. But still, it's a big jump from the Japanese perspective.

Видео Japan’s Soft Power Approach to Security канала Stephen Nagy