Japan Rearmed: The Politics of Military Power

Japan Rearmed is a timely and nuanced reflection on the evolution of Japan’s postwar defence debate after a decade of relentless change in both regional geopolitics and Japan’s security policy. Japanese governments and Japan’s strategic thinkers sit uneasily at an inflection point in regional geopolitics, not knowing the answers to many questions that will have profound implications for their country’s national security and grand strategy. These questions relate to the intensity of the US–China rivalry and its implications for regional economic growth, how permissive President Trump will be of the DPRK’s rapidly advancing nuclear and missile programs, and whether Trump will be re-elected, thereby having the opportunity to really shake...