ABSTRACT
The most serious aspect of the deteriorating security situation in the 1970s was the continued Soviet military build-up, both nuclear and conventional. The attempts of the Soviet Union to use every possible opportunity to expand her influence over strategically important areas in the Third World, directly or by use of surrogates, contributed to a sense of unease in Japan. Given the heavy spending on naval power detailed in the Reagan Administration’s defence budget, American military capability in the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean also seems set to grow in the course of the 1980s. However, it will be some time before increased expenditure can be reflected in force numbers. China attracted much attention from Western strategists as they saw the increasing global challenge from the Soviet Union in the late 1970s. Securing a steady oil supply presents another serious challenge to the security of Western industrialized democracies, and of Japan in particular.
