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The Evolving U.S.-Japan Security Alliance: Hard vs. Soft Power Problematique
Organizer and Chair: Tsuneo Akaha, Monterey Institute of International Studies
Discussant: Thomas Berger, Boston University
The panel will examine the utility of the concepts of hard and soft power, as articulated by Joseph Nye, in examining the changing nature of the US-Japan security alliance. The panel will discuss both policy and theoretical implications of the concepts in question. On the policy side, the central questions are: What are the hard power and soft power components of the two countries that are relevant to the security alliance? How have the balance between their hard and soft power changed since the 1980s and how have those changes affected the nature of the bilateral alliance? How are the two countries currently pursuing their bilateral security objectives in their respective spheres of capabilities and interests? How do the key members of the international community, particularly Japan's Asian neighbors, view the evolving alliance? Does their reaction indicate explicit efforts to exercise their own hard and soft power? Theoretically, we are interested in exploring the analytical utility of the concepts of hard power and soft power. Can these concepts adequately capture and explain the changing nature of the U.S.-Japan alliance, the alliance's impact on the regional security environment, and the neighboring countries' views? The theoretical interest requires the development of indicators of hard and soft power and their combined impact on international relations and appropriate methods in measuring the two power components and their impact.
Explaining the Evolution of Japan's Security Policy
David Arase, Pomona College
The paper uses different levels of analysis to explain the evolution of Japan's security policy and why Japan is on the verge of constitutional revision and a new foreign policy possessing a significant hard power component. The flawed predictions of Japan's post-cold war security policy made by realists, liberals, and constructivists in the early 1990s are referenced and the reasons for their errors are examined. The shortcomings of conventional theoretical analysis are explored and a more eclectic but still systematic approach to understanding Japan's policy is developed. In particular, Japan's strong motivation to develop its soft power capabilities is recalled and the past and present obstacles to this ambition are suggested. Using the eclectic approach developed to understand Japan's policy evolution, a prognosis for Japan is generated which suggests the new generation of leadership will enjoy an unusually free hand to expand hard power capabilities, but there still are good reasons to expect Japan to limit its rearmament and expand its soft power options.
China Views the US-Japan Alliance
Quansheng Zhao, American University
Three approaches that have guided Chinese foreign policy over the past half century can be discerned in an examination of the evolution of Beijing's view of the US-Japan alliance: the history-embedded, national interest-driven, and co-management approaches. The first approach tends to emphasize China's past bitter experiences and therefore has led toward a more hostile attitude toward Japan and the alliance. The national interest-driven approach has served as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it may lead to a more positive view of the alliance, as happened when China faced a threat from the former Soviet Union or China needed Japan's help in its modernization drive. At the same time, however, it may also lead to a negative perspective toward the alliance, as is probable when the issue involves China's sovereignty and other core national interests, such as the issue of Taiwan and the disputes over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. The co-management approach, the most recent approach to appear on the scene, has enabled China to view its foreign policy in the context of global strategy. Beijing has adopted this approach in dealing with the two flashpoints in the region, namely the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait. Although the two issues are different in nature, they both require China to adopt a more cooperative attitude toward major powers. In both cases, the US is the primary partner for co-management, and Japan plays a minor but nevertheless significant role.
North and South Korean Views of the U.S.-Japan Alliance
Daniel Pinkston, Monterey Institute of International Studies
North Korea views the U.S.-Japan alliance as hostile, but South Korean views are more complex. Korean perceptions of Japan are still affected by historical legacies, which make Koreans very sensitive to changes to Tokyo’s hard power. Most Koreans already view Japan as a “normal state,” and despite considerable Japanese efforts to utilize soft power, these efforts have been ineffective in Korea. South Korean views of the U.S.-Japan alliance vary, but many Koreans view the alliance as a cover that enables Tokyo to increase its hard power capabilities. Cynical Korean realists view the alliance as part of Washington’s global strategy to contain Beijing, while some Koreans view the alliance as an instrument that provides peace and stability to the region.