Japan's Security Strategy in the Post-9/11 World

Book excerpt: The years following September 11, 2001 have marked a turning point in Japan's defense strategy, marked by the erosion of normative and legal restraints. Utilizing poll data from Japanese newspapers as well as extensive interview material from Japanese and U.S. policymakers, Daniel Kliman argues that both Japanese elites and the general public increasingly view national security from a realpolitik perspective. This more aggressive view of national defense has led Japan to undertake a series of precedent-breaking initiatives, including the deployment of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the introduction of a missile defense system, and the contribution of troops to U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq.