«Japan’s Security Strategy: Key Principles and Transformation of Priorities»
Students Name: Prokopyshyn Vitalii Serhiiovych
Qualification Level: magister
Speciality: International Relations
Institute: Institute of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Mode of Study: full
Academic Year: 2023-2024 н.р.
Language of Defence: ukrainian
Abstract: Today, the international community is constantly experiencing rapid changes due to the shift of the center of gravity of global power to the Indo-Pacific region, where Japan is located. Many opportunities and advantages are emerging in the world, such as economic development and technological innovations, which are changing the course of not only people’s ordinary lives, but also security and everything related to it. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the United States and international organizations, including the G7, to anticipate risks in the international community and to maintain and develop a free and open international order. The UN, which is supposed to embody the will of the international community as a whole, is not fully fulfilling its functions in light of current security challenges. This is largely due to the fact that states (e.g., Russia, Iran, North Korea) that do not share universal values or political and economic systems based on such values are expanding their influence, thereby increasing risks around the world. Some states, which do not exclude the policy of strengthening their own national interests at the expense of others, are expanding their influence through both military and non-military means, trying to unilaterally change the status quo and intensifying actions aimed at challenging the international order. Such steps have intensified competition and confrontation between states in a wide range of spheres, including military, diplomatic, economic and technological, and have shaken the foundations of the international order. As a result, the modern international security environment has become complex and unpredictable, where interstate relations and the interests of each nation are mosaically intertwined with each other. As the issue of security in the world today is one of the main and most important issues to be addressed and discussed, it is safe to say that the issue of security in Asia, namely Japan’s national security, is becoming a key issue at the global and regional levels. Japan has been implementing strategic approaches using its comprehensive national strength, including economic, technological and strategic capabilities, as an integrated and effective means. The object of the study: is Japan’s security strategy. The subject of the study: is the principles and priorities of Japan’s security strategy and their transformation under the influence of changes in the modern world. The purpose is to study and characterize Japan’s security priorities and their transformation in the light of current security challenges at the regional and global levels. The source base and the state of research on the formation and transformation of Japan’s security strategy are studied. It is worth noting that the topic has been studied quite extensively, and such studies are developing and are popular not only among Japanese researchers. After analyzing the works written by such researchers as M. Beckley, S. Biddle, D. Clausen, S. Herald, and Y. Hosoya, it is found that the main focus is on clarifying the specifics of the development and formation of the Japanese security environment and its progress. The author also characterizes the legal and regulatory doctrine of Japan’s national security. It is worth noting the path that Japan has taken and the fact that the country’s security strategy is rapidly evolving and the entire legal side of security is changing to adapt to modern challenges. The National Security Strategy of 2022 laid the foundations for the regulatory implementation of strengthening and moving away from pacifism in the defense sector. The 2023 White Paper and the 2022 National Security Strategy are the two main documents in the development of Japan’s security environment today, but the work on improving the security sector is just beginning. Keywords: security strategy, national security, Japan, national interests. List of used sources: 1. Гриценко А. Україна ? Японія: контури перспективної співпраці. Національний інститут стратегічних досліджень. URL: https://niss.gov.ua/sites/default/files/2022-04/yaponiya_150422.pdf (дата звернення: 04.12.2023). 2. Atanassova-Cornelis E. Shifting domestic politics and security policy in Japan and Taiwan: the search for a balancing strategy between China and the US. Asia-Pacific review. 2013. № 20. P. 55–78. 3. Freedman L. D., Biddle S. Military power: explaining victory and defeat in modern battle. Foreign affairs. 2005. Vol. 84. № 1. P. 354 4. Hosoya Y. Japan in search of a new international identity. Nippon.com. 2011. URL: https://www.nippon.com/en/features/c00201/ (дата звернення: 02.12.2023). 5. National security strategy. Ministry of defens. URL: https://www.mod.go. jp/en/d_policy/basis/strategy/index.html (дата звернення: 02.12.2023).