Publication

This paper 1) examines Japanese security policy under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; 2) identifies the constants and constraints that frame the policy; and 3) predicts Japan's policy trajectories in the near-term future. The text's conclusions are not sanguine – i.e., structural constraints in the Japanese economy, a narrow definition of Japanese national identity, and an increasingly beleaguered polity will indeed narrow Japan's security options over time. Because of these problems, the friends and allies of Japan, including Australia, should continue to engage with Tokyo and ensure that it has a place at the regional security policy table.