Japanese militarism is back

On March 29th, the new laws in the field of national security, which passed through Parliament last summer, will take effect in Japan. According to the bills, the country's Self-Defense Forces will have the right to participate in collective self-defense mechanisms. First of all, the US missile defense system is implied. In addition, the Japanese military will be able to provide assistance to allies, and participate in peacekeeping missions.

The essence of the changes

After the defeat in World War II, the new Constitution was elaborated and adopted in 1947 under the American occupation regime. According to it, the authorities of the Japanese military were limited to self-defence on the territory of the Japanese islands. New laws in the field of security mean a complete overhaul of the country's defense doctrine, as it opens the possibility of Japanese armed forces conducting actions far beyond Japan. In 2015, a record high defense budget ($42.1 billion) was approved. On the eve of the laws taking effect, the Japanese military showed that they have given up their old pacifism. On March 27th, the Japanese military launched a military garrison near the Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by China.

The positions of the US and China

The United States currently supports Japan, and hopes to use its defense capabilities in order to counter China, which has started an ambitious naval program. A new defense alliance treaty between Japan and the United States was signed in 2015. Japan received the "right" to use his powers to protect the US.

The main opponents of japan are North Korea and, of course, China. The Japanese military received an invitation of deployment in the Philippines ports. Thus, Japan is involved in a confrontation with China in the South China Sea. China negatively perceives the return of Japan as a significant factor of power in the Pacific.

Pro-Western anti-war movement

Nevertheless, the US fears that the further strengthening of the position of the Japanese armed forces could contribute to a more independent foreign policy of the country. Certain trends were already evident last year when Japan was trying hard to improve relations with Russia, contrary to the US' position. Therefore, it is not surprising that the West has also cropped the anti-war movement of Japan. The leading force of the anti-war protests is the student structure SEALD (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy), organized on the model of youth groups that participated in color revolutions throughout the world. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is accused of nationalism, militarism, and obscuring the main danger of the new laws - the use of the Japanese military in the US' interests.

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Japanese militarism is back