Japan's foreign policy and human security

Following on from the first article about how human security has become part of the discourse of international relations and how it affects the Japanese state and its people in particular, this article examines the development of the concept with specific reference to its interpretation by different Japanese prime ministers and other leading politicians. It follows the concept from its origins within the United Nations Development Programme during the early 1990s and charts its path through a range of domestic and international policy-making agendas. Particular attention is paid to the role of late Prime Minister Obuchi and his personal ambitions to place human security at the heart of Japanese policy making.