Japan’s road to normalization : implications on foreign policy, interstate diplomacy, and grand strategy

Japan is the only nation of its economic and technological stature that does not possess a functioning military and renounces war as a sovereign right. As the security environment in East Asia becomes increasingly severe, Prime Minister Abe Shinzō has set a self-imposed deadline to revise the Constitution, specifically with respect to the war-renouncing Article 9, a move that would indubitably draw backlash domestically and regionally. Japan’s road to a ‘normal nation’ is, however, wrought with woes. Among the fundamental questions that deserve to be asked pertains to Japan’s status in the international community – what role should Japan play, and what kind of a grand strategy should Japan undertake to match its status? By utilizing the future scenarios planning technique, this paper hypothesizes three scenarios of Japan’s foreign policy direction following normalization, grounded in a comprehensive examination of existing pillars of Japanese foreign and security policy.Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Global Affair