The Japan Self-Defense Forces as the guarantee of safety: the Navy and the Border Guard

During the Cold War, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces didn’t play an important role in the region. The situation has changed along with the fall of the USSR, increasing the political-military activity of the PRC and an unpredictable policy of the DPRK. The current situation in Southeast Asia is unstable. The greatest threat to the sovereignty of Japan is the aggressive actions of the People’s Republic of China, North Korea and Russia. China, conducting a very military strategy, still stakes a claim to the Senkaku Islands in order to impose dominance upon neighboring countries – it is a considerable risk for that area. Another military threat to Japan is the unpredictable North Korea, which has powers and means, including ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads able to strike the whole Japanese territory. The Russian Federation which is staking a claim to the Kuril Islands, still remains a threat to Japan. The changes in the region influenced the changes of the Maritime Self-Defense Forces and the armament policy. Among others, the Maritime Self-Defense Forces increased its action and started to cooperate actively in the interest of peace in the world