Japan’s defense build- up

This chapter evaluates the enhancement of Japan’s defense capabilities within the broader geopolitical context of the U.S. strategic realignment in East Asia. First, it discusses military and political implications of the Nixon Doctrine for U.S.–Japan security relations. Second, it analyzes the rise and decline of the concept of autonomous defense posture, advocated by Yasuhiro Nakasone, the Director-General of the Japan Defense Agency. Third, the chapter explores the controversial question of Japan’s independent nuclear weapons program, which has not been sufficiently examined in previous major publications on the U.S.–Japan alliance. Finally, this chapter examines the evolution of the National Security Council (NSC) interdepartmental study on Japan’s defense build-up, which assessed possible prospects for Japan’s independent and nationalistic security posture.