Foreign relations of Japan

Thèmes abordés

Foreign relations - Japan - Obama Administration - Security treaty

Résumé du document

In 2012, the Obama Administration represented by its Secretary of State Hilary Clinton published an ambitious document putting forth the United States' intention to pivot its main foreign policy concerns to the Asia-Pacific region. Traditionally in charge of ensuring security over allies such as Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, the U.S desires to project itself as an Asia-Pacific power and a major actor in the regional sphere. Two main legal obligations are currently shaping and constraining Japanese foreign policy-making: the U.S-Japan Security treaty, as well as its own constitution. On one hand, article 9 of Japan's constitution of May 1947, doesn't grant the state its right to belligerency and possess "war potential".

On the other hand, the U.S-Japan Security treaty, constrained Japan to resolve international dispute through peaceful mean (Art. 1) and gives prominence to the U.S to deal with aggression and the country's security (Art. 6). This essay will analyze whether or not contemporary events in international affairs, could justify the means for Japan to reevaluate its role as a regional diplomatic power; moreover, it will recommend the resources Japan should use in order to achieve its national interests while respecting international law and protecting regional peace.

Extraits

[...] The U.S is engaged in almost the same amount of trade statistics. It is very unlikely thus, for the region to enter a phase of major insecurity and no states will give up the economic opportunities ahead. * 4. Conclusions: forging alliances and establish a more significant role for the U.N As a conclusion I would like to introduce a dual approach that Japan could adopt in order to foresee the probable tensions and deal with them in a close future. [...]

[...] This is the card Japan should play. It should be put forward that in these times, Japan, and the region is facing a transitional period of power-balance and that its security is under threat by the growing aggressive position taken by China as well as North Korea. However, it should be reminded that Japan's sole existence relies on its core entity as a sovereign peaceful nation. The existence of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces relies on the fact that it is the extension of the national police, although it does possess land, air and naval means to protect itself from a foreign military attack. [...]

[...] The change of power balance in the region: a weakened U.S? Since the beginning of this decade, the U.S has faced many challenges both internal and external. The role of the U.S as a world-leader and “world-police” is slowly vanishing as the politics tend to focus more on domestic issues rather than international ones, as reminded by the absence of Obama during the ASEAN meeting while the government was in shutdown. Furthermore, failures on the international level in on-going conflicts such as Syria and Ukraine, puts the U.S into a weaker position and leaves China a margin of action that the U.S cannot afford to compete with: territorial disputes in the East and South China Sea and the establishment of an identification zone”. [...]

[...] Problem will now rise in the legal adoption by the Diet. With regards to ensuring peace and prosperity to the region and facing the challenge of a less present U.S, it is in Japan's role to further engage actively and through military coercion. This decision would be in line with article 1 of the U.N Charter promoting universal peace The Asia-Pacific, an area of interdependence: economics and security However, the global economy remains a compilation of interdependent states and economies. [...]

[...] States like France and the U.K have a presence in the Asia-Pacific region (New-Caledonia for example). Finally, in order to settle international disputes on territorial claims, Japan should engage in the creation of an international institution, overseen by the U.N, in order to foster an open, peaceful and prosperous region in which governments would rely on rules, norms and institutions to settle differences rather than coercion and force. References CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Pivot to the Pacific? The Obama Administration?s ?Rebalancing? Toward Asia http://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42448.pdf Balancing Acts: The U.S. [...]