Japan on the Borderlines: Is Japan Still a Civilian Power?

Abstract

The New Security Legislation (NSL) passed through the Japanese Diet in 2015 has created concerns among the public and some parts of the academia about whether Japan’s potentially unhindered actions will destabilize the region. By adopting a civilian power ontology within the neoliberal framework, this study analyzes the 2015 NSL and its implications through three hallmark civilian power credentials: internationalization; the scope of the use of force; and the autonomy of security policy. The analysis and empirical evidence suggest that even after allowing for collective self-defense through the 2015 constitutional reinterpretation and the ensuing expanded scope for international security activity, Japan can still be narrowly considered a civilian power.

Keywords

Japanese Foreign Policy, New Security Legislation, Internationalism, Security Policy, Security Autonomy

Citation

Bahadir Pehlivanturk, “Japan on the Borderlines: Is Japan Still a Civilian Power?", Uluslararası İlişkiler, Vol. 18, No. 71, 2021, pp. 67-85, DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.912022

Affiliations

• Bahadir PEHLIVANTURK, Assoc. Prof. Dr., TOBB Univesity of Economics and Technology, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Ankara