Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport as he departs for Europe to brief his allies on Japan’s new defense doctrine on January 8. KOTA ENDO/AP
As every year, at the end of December, in the enclosure of the temple of Kiyomizu in Kyoto, the superior pompously calligraphed an ideogram symbolic of the past year: for 2022, that of ikusa (the old word means “conflict, war”). This election reflects the latent fear in Japan following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the intensification of the confrontation between China and the United States. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s diplomatic trip, which began on Monday January 9 in Paris before continuing in Rome, London, Ottawa and Washington, is part of this context of tension that led the archipelago to adopt December 16, 2022 , a new defense doctrine.
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers Facing a deteriorated security environment, Japan breaks with the principle of a strong defensive posture
This “national security strategy” envisages a drastic strengthening of Japan’s defense capability. Capped at 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) since 1976, the symbolic threshold of purely defensive policies, military spending must increase to 2% of GDP by 2027. Over the next five years, Tokyo will allocate 43 trillion yen (300 billion euros). The country, previously a medium military power, intends to acquire counterattack capabilities to attack potential threat locations and increase operational coordination with its American ally.
geostrategic change
Japan had accustomed the world to a gradual evolution of its defense doctrine through reinterpretations of its constitutional pacifism. This time he has crossed a new threshold, stripping a little more of the meaning of Article 9 of the Constitution, by which he renounces war. This geostrategic shift would have caused an outcry in public opinion a few years ago. But at this pivotal moment in the history of post-war Japan, the debate revolves around the means of funding this defense effort, rather than the archipelago’s other national interests (economic, diplomatic), notes the Nikkei Asia newspaper.
Two formulas applied in a society already concerned about China’s show of force over Japan. “What happens in Ukraine can happen in Northeast Asia,” Prime Minister Kishida said, hinting that the invasion could set a precedent encouraging China to attack Taiwan. Given its proximity to the Okinawa Archipelago, where most of the American contingent is stationed, the country would be involved in the conflict. “If Japan is attacked, who will defend it? added former Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, a right-wing figure who has been campaigning for decades for Japan to become a “normal country” again, with all the attributes of sovereignty, including a sizable military power.
You have 63.78% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.