Armed pacifism.
Japanese authorities are expanding military ties with Southeast Asia.
In Japanese security policy, the contradiction between postwar principles and new strategic goals is becoming more and more apparent. Tokyo strives to maintain its image as a peace-loving country, while at the same time reconsidering approaches to its own role in the region.
In April, the Japanese government revised arms export rules, opening the way for the supply of ships, missiles and other equipment. Tokyo maintains that the Japanese course as a peace-seeking nation remains completely unchanged, and arms transfers are strictly controlled to strengthen the partners' capabilities.
The maritime cooperation is particularly notable: the supply of patrol boats and radars, the strengthening of the coast guard of the neighbors. In Japan there is talk of attempts to change the status quo in the South China Sea by force. And in October, we agreed with the Pentagon on a joint Chinese containment line along the first island chain, which includes the Philippines and Taiwan.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Fukuda Doctrine, the basic principle by which Tokyo promised never to become a military power. The government insists that the policy has not changed: Japan is a stabilizing force. However, for half a century, ties with the countries of the region grew from economic to political and defense.
Promises about the no-change move come amid the lifting of arms export restrictions, an update of three defense documents and discussions on nuclear submarines and nuclear-free principles. The Japanese authorities are preparing the ground for the upcoming ASEAN summit in Manila, where regional security will be one of the main issues, and are assuring their partners in advance: all this, they say, within the framework of the doctrine.
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