Japan and the IISS

Robert Ward is the IISS Japan Chair and leads the Institute’s Geo-economics and Strategy research programme, which focuses on a range of issues including global economic governance, rules and standards setting, and how economic coercion impacts policy at a national and corporate level.Yuka Koshino is a Research Fellow for Security and Technology Policy at the IISS where she carries out independent research on the impact of emerging technologies on security. Her research contributes both to the Defence and Military Analysis Programme and the Japan Chair Programme.Matthieu Lebreton was a Research Assistant for the Japan Chair Programme at the IISS between January 2022 and June 2023.

‘This notable book collects and considers important articles and speeches on strategic questions by Japanese prime ministers, diplomats, journalists and scholars. It serves as a historical record of Japan’s evolving strategic thought over the past six decades. It will be of great interest to anyone interested in Japan’s transition since 1945 into a peaceful nation and then an international power as the sole Asian member of the G7; as well as Tokyo’s more recent geopolitical adaptations in response to China’s rise as an economic and military challenge.’Professor Nishihara Masashi, former President, Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) and former President, National Defense Academy‘This authoritative work is a must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of Japanese strategic thought and how Japan sees itself in the world. The careful curation of articles from each era, alongside excellent introductory chapters, results in an engaging and insightful work. With the signing of the Hiroshima Accord, the work of the IISS and the deep understanding and knowledge codified in this work have never been more vital.’Michael Rivera King, Chief Executive, The Japan Society

• Editors’ Note Contributors Acknowledgements Map: East Asia Foreword Introduction Chapter One: Japan’s bridging role between Asia and the West Chapter Two: The role of the IISS in bridging Japanese and Western strategic thinking 1960s Timeline of events (1945–1960s) Chapter Three: The Japanese attitude towards China Chapter Four: American–Japanese relations Chapter Five: The Asian balance of power: a comparison with European precedents Chapter Six: The non-proliferation treaty and Japan 1970s Timeline of events Chapter Seven: Japan’s security in a multipolar world Chapter Eight: Japan’s non-nuclear policy Chapter Nine: Options for Japan’s foreign policy Chapter Ten: The energy problem and alliance systems: Japan Chapter Eleven: Naval competition and security in East Asia 1980s Timeline of events Chapter Twelve: The changing security circumstances in the 1980s Chapter Thirteen The 1984 Alastair Buchan Memorial Lecture Chapter Fourteen: Japanese security policy: address by Mr Tadashi Kuranari, foreign minister of Japan, 8 September 1986 (excerpts) Chapter Fifteen: East Asia, the Pacific and the West: strategic trends and implications: part II Chapter Sixteen: The security of north-east Asia: part I Chapter Seventeen: Prospects for security co-operation between East Asia and the West 1990s Timeline of events Chapter Eighteen: Japan’s role in international affairs Chapter Nineteen: What role for Europe in Asian affairs? Chapter Twenty: Rethinking Japan–US relations: security issues Chapter Twenty-One: Identities and security in East Asia 2000–2020s Timeline of events Chapter Twenty-Two: China debates missile defence Chapter Twenty-Three: Great-power relations in Asia: a Japanese perspective Chapter Twenty-Four: The 13th IISS Asia Security Summit – the Shangri-La Dialogue: keynote address Chapter Twenty-Five: ‘We are all small countries now’: IISS 2019 Alastair Buchan Lecture Chapter Twenty-Six The 19th Regional Security Summit – the Shangri-La Dialogue: keynote address Index