【Article by IDAS】
The International Doctoral Program on Asia-Pacific Studies (IDAS) brown bag series presented a roundtable discussion “What Prompted Japan to take more proactive security policies? The Role of Domestic Institutions” on February 21st, 2024. Lectures by Dr. Satoshi Machidori of Kyoto University and Dr. Harukata Takenaka of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, respectively, explored different facets of Japan’s domestic politics affecting the course of Japanese foreign policy.
Dr. Machidori’s presentation focused on how domestic political reforms influence changes in foreign policy. Japan’s shift towards a more active international participation is attributed to the centralization of power, brought on by electoral and administrative reforms that have strengthened the office of the Prime Minister as a key policy maker. These changes have been made possible by a growing public interest in foreign policy and national security concerns, coinciding with a reduction in absolute anti-war sentiment. Nonetheless, recent political reforms have also devolved more power to local governments strengthening their position as veto points in policy-making.
Application of the argument to a specific policy, Dr. Takenaka’s presentation sought to answer how Japan was able to launch the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) strategy. He argued reforms in political institutions, such as the power of the Prime Minister within his own party and the establishment of new institutions within the executive branch altered the policy-making process. Changes in the legal powers of the PM to influence appointments of individual ministries and to design concrete policies gave the executive branch political clout to marshal support for implementing FOIP as a strategic policy. The implication for Japan is formulating a more proactive external and security policy.
In the open forum, Dr. Yves Tiberghien posed questions on the paradoxical situation of public support for security issues but seeming fiscal conservatism. The response from Dr. Machidori and Dr. Takenaka focused on the possibility of attitudinal modification from the general public, as hesitations could be overcome over time and dependent on circumstance. Other significant interest was expressed in the role of factionalization within the ruling party and sensitivity to public dissatisfaction. In response, both speakers argued that foreign policy functions as a baseline for judging political parties in Japan, where the issue’s significance only becomes salient when a mistake has been committed. In summation, public interest in the salience of foreign policy is circumstantial.
It was truly our honor to have Dr. Satoshi Machidori and Dr. Harukata Takenaka for this roundtable discussion which attracted a diverse audience of both local and international scholars and students, with active participation in the discussion session. It was also a great chance for our students to further explore the Japanese governmental, political, and diplomatic policies, and understand the domestic opinions from first-hand resources. The IDAS office will endeavour to arrange more series focusing on issues integral to the Asia-Pacific region.
