ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the evolution of Japanese security strategy after 1989 by looking at the driving forces and major dimensions of its security policies. It explores Japan's approach to security during the Cold War, and the altered external and domestic context of Tokyo's foreign policy after 1989. The chapter analyses Japan's evolving approaches to hard power, notably in the framework of the US-Japan alliance. It also explores the major regional and global aspects of the country's security policy with a particular focus on soft power, and describes reflections on change and continuity in Japanese security strategy. Japan has developed a political and security partnership with the European Union (EU) based on shared democratic values and common, comprehensive approaches to security. The many uncertainties related to East Asia's evolving geopolitical environment suggest that Japan is likely to keep on diversifying its strategic options, as well as increasingly combining soft with hard power.
