ABSTRACT
On June 15, 1992, the Japanese Diet passed The Law Concerning Cooperation in U.N. Peacekeeping and Other Operations (otherwise known as the PKO Law), and it went into effect on 10 August of that same year. This law marked the most significant change in Japan’s postwar foreign and security policies since the creation of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in the 1950s. When interpreted narrowly or at face value, the constitution would seem to prohibit the maintenance of any military forces. The sending of SDF troops overseas was an extremely controversial change in policy for the Japanese government. The fact that this law was passed in spite of Japan’s constitutional renunciation of war was a direct response to the political fallout of the Persian Gulf War. In this chapter, we will look at the politics behind this radical shift in Japanese policy and some of its long-term implications, such as the demise of the Yoshida Doctrine.
