RECENT ADJUSTMENTS OF JAPAN'S SECURITY AND DEFENSE POLICIES AND SEVERAL IMPACTS ON THE SECURITY STRUCTURE OF THE ASIA - PACIFIC REGION

Abstract

With the desire to soon become a “comprehensive” power in the context which strategic competition in the Asia-Pacific region has become increasingly fierce since the first decade of the 21st century, Japan has reinterpreted its constitution with the aim of legalizing gradually the military. In the face of China's strong military rise as well as the decline of America's global power, the Japanese cabinet passed the four most important documents on national security and defense, including the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, the Defense Buildup Program (December 2022), and the Defense White Paper 2023 (July 2023), thereby doubling the defense budget to 2% of GDP, claiming to possess the ability to attack outside. These documents paved the way for the modernization and strengthened Japan's military and defense potential to ensure national security and enhance its political and security role in the region and the world. This move could create a premise for Japan to return closer to its military power at the pre-World War II, trigger an arms race, and have multi-dimensional impacts on the security structure of the Asia-Pacific region. The study aims to clarify the causes and content of the recent adjustments of Japan's security and defense policy, and the impacts of these adjustments on the security structure of the region. Thereby, the author offers a number of appropriate policy recommendations for Vietnam in implementing foreign and security policy, as well as the task of protecting independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the country.