Japan's Remilitarization Struggle Since the Shinzo Abe’s Leadership

This article discusses Japan’s struggle to push its military capabilities to become more active in security issues since the reelection of Shinzo Abe in 2012. During this time, Japanese defense policy faced great challenges due to the restriction of the Japanese constitution of pacifism (Article 9)...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Muhammad Arif Prabowo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani 2023-06-01
Series:Journal of Global Strategic Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ejournal.fisip.unjani.ac.id/index.php/JGSS/article/view/1642
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849771549098246144
author Muhammad Arif Prabowo
author_facet Muhammad Arif Prabowo
author_sort Muhammad Arif Prabowo
collection DOAJ
description This article discusses Japan’s struggle to push its military capabilities to become more active in security issues since the reelection of Shinzo Abe in 2012. During this time, Japanese defense policy faced great challenges due to the restriction of the Japanese constitution of pacifism (Article 9) and the fact that the Japanese opposed the idea of militarism or ‘remilitarization’ initiated by Japanese political leaders, mainly Abe. However, the Chinese military presence in the region with overwhelming military capabilities and aggressive behavior, particularly around Diayou/Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, threatens Japan. This uncertainty has engendered a grim perception of China among the Japanese which forces Japan to fortify its security by reforming its defense policy to strengthen its military capabilities. In this essay, I argue that the remilitarization of Japan is stimulated by the Japanese perception of the threat of Chinese aggressiveness. By utilizing Robert Jervis's theory, the analysis is focused on a structural level to trace the incentive of Japan’s remilitarization. This security phenomenon will be enlightened by two imperative concepts of the security dilemma and perception of threat. Other domestic aspects like public opinion and elites are discussed to show the veracity of the main argument.
format Article
id doaj-art-3545632f72a34dcc9967bde514bde1af
institution DOAJ
issn 2798-4427
language English
publishDate 2023-06-01
publisher Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani
record_format Article
series Journal of Global Strategic Studies
spelling doaj-art-3545632f72a34dcc9967bde514bde1af2025-08-20T03:02:36ZengUniversitas Jenderal Achmad YaniJournal of Global Strategic Studies2798-44272023-06-013110.36859/jgss.v3i1.1642Japan's Remilitarization Struggle Since the Shinzo Abe’s LeadershipMuhammad Arif Prabowo This article discusses Japan’s struggle to push its military capabilities to become more active in security issues since the reelection of Shinzo Abe in 2012. During this time, Japanese defense policy faced great challenges due to the restriction of the Japanese constitution of pacifism (Article 9) and the fact that the Japanese opposed the idea of militarism or ‘remilitarization’ initiated by Japanese political leaders, mainly Abe. However, the Chinese military presence in the region with overwhelming military capabilities and aggressive behavior, particularly around Diayou/Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, threatens Japan. This uncertainty has engendered a grim perception of China among the Japanese which forces Japan to fortify its security by reforming its defense policy to strengthen its military capabilities. In this essay, I argue that the remilitarization of Japan is stimulated by the Japanese perception of the threat of Chinese aggressiveness. By utilizing Robert Jervis's theory, the analysis is focused on a structural level to trace the incentive of Japan’s remilitarization. This security phenomenon will be enlightened by two imperative concepts of the security dilemma and perception of threat. Other domestic aspects like public opinion and elites are discussed to show the veracity of the main argument. https://ejournal.fisip.unjani.ac.id/index.php/JGSS/article/view/1642JapanChinaRemiliterizationPublic OpinionElite PoliticsJapan Constitution
spellingShingle Muhammad Arif Prabowo
Japan's Remilitarization Struggle Since the Shinzo Abe’s Leadership
Journal of Global Strategic Studies
Japan
China
Remiliterization
Public Opinion
Elite Politics
Japan Constitution
title Japan's Remilitarization Struggle Since the Shinzo Abe’s Leadership
title_full Japan's Remilitarization Struggle Since the Shinzo Abe’s Leadership
title_fullStr Japan's Remilitarization Struggle Since the Shinzo Abe’s Leadership
title_full_unstemmed Japan's Remilitarization Struggle Since the Shinzo Abe’s Leadership
title_short Japan's Remilitarization Struggle Since the Shinzo Abe’s Leadership
title_sort japan s remilitarization struggle since the shinzo abe s leadership
topic Japan
China
Remiliterization
Public Opinion
Elite Politics
Japan Constitution
url https://ejournal.fisip.unjani.ac.id/index.php/JGSS/article/view/1642
work_keys_str_mv AT muhammadarifprabowo japansremilitarizationstrugglesincetheshinzoabesleadership