Since the
end of the Cold War, there has been a gradual but significant evolution in how
Japanese citizens and policymakers perceive their country’s physical security
and legitimate responses to security threats. As the only country ever
exposed to nuclear attack, Japan’s strong advocacy for nuclear disarmament has
been a major foreign policy priority. Japanese citizens and policymakers
alike have long nurtured a general “allergy” to robust military
capabilities, particularly nuclear weapons. More recently, Japanese
citizens, responding to provocations by North Korea and the increasing
sensationalism of North Korea and China by the media, have developed a sense of
insecurity that leads them to question Japan’s non-nuclear status quo.
However, the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in the
aftermath of the March 2011, the GEJE has dramatically revived Japan’s
“nuclear allergy.” Mindful of these two opposing trend, this project
will examine the strategic impact of recent shifts in nuclear security
consciousness in Japan.
Books & Reports
The New Nuclear Agenda: Prospects for US-Japan Cooperation (February 24, 2012)
Events
One Year After the Tsunami: A Report from Tohoku (April 11, 2012)
Analyses & Commentaries
- Yuki Tatsumi wrote a Spotlight Analysis article, entitled One
Year After 3-11: ‘Lessons Learned’ for Japan (March
13, 2012) - Yuki Tatsumi wrote a
post on the Stimson Center’s The Will and
the Wallet blog discussing Japanese defense spending in the wake
of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake(April
15, 2011) - Yuki Tatsumi was featured on PBS NewsHour segment on One
Month After Tsunami, what are Japan’s Biggest Needs (video) (April
11, 2011) - Yuki Tatsumi wrote an analysis
of the Japanese government’s response to the situation at the Daiichi
nuclear power plant for BBC online. (April
1, 2011) - Yuki Tatsumi wrote a
post on the Stimson Center’s The Will and
the Wallet blog discussing cooperation between Japan Self-Defense
forces and the US military in the wake of the Great Eastern Japan
Earthquake of March 11. (March
22, 2011) - Yuki Tatsumi was featured on PBS NewsHour segment on Order, Resilience Mark Japanese
Response to Compound Crises(video) (March
17, 2011) - Yuki Tatsumi wrote a Spotlight Analysis entitled, The Role of the Japan Self-Defense
Force in the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. (March
17, 2011)