On the question of the emergence of an alternative to Japan’s “soft power”

Abstract

After the defeat of the Japanese Empire in World War II, the country began to actually rebuild its political system and raise the economy destroyed by the war, relying on the Constitution of 1947. Clause 9 of the Japanese Constitution assumes that the country does not have a full-fledged armed forces, which led, on the one hand, to enslaving dependence of Japan in the field of security on the military-political alliance with the United States, and on the other hand, to building Japan's relations in the international arena, in fact, only with the help of “soft power”, which had no alternative to “hard power” in the form of forceful methods of influencing their opponents. Such “soft diplomacy” led to the positioning of Japan as a peace- loving country, winning the hearts of people with positive examples in the fields of culture, science and technology, successfully practicing “soft power” in the interests of its development. In recent years, the tense situation in the world has required Japan to increase the level of protection from external threats, which Japan sees primarily in the actions of China and the DPRK. As a result, Japan has come up with a more independent security and defense policy from the United States, relying on other countries and organizations, as well as revisiting its global role in the international arena. The process of change, leading to the formation of a real “hard power” in Japan, has already been launched and requires thorough expert study.

Keywords

• east asia
• japan
• soft power
• hard power
• security
• defense