Revision of Japan’s Foreign Policy After Donald Trump’s Electoral Victory

Authors

  • Karol Żakowski University of Lodz, Faculty of International and Political Studies, Department of Asian Studies

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1641-4233.23.06

Keywords:

Japan, foreign policy, Donald Trump, Japan–US relations

Abstract

The article analyzes the process of modification of Japan’s foreign policy after Donald Trump’s election as US president. As short- and middle-range aims of Japan’s diplomatic strategy were outlined with expectation of victory of Hillary Clinton, Tokyo was forced to abruptly change its policy. Relying on the neoclassical realist theory, the article examines the complex interaction between the external factors, such as security threats from North Korea or China, and domestic factors both in Japan and the US, that is personal, institutional, societal and economic determinants. It is argued that while it was strategic convergence between Tokyo and Washington that enabled relatively smooth cooperation between Prime Minister Abe and President Trump, internal factors, such as right-wing credentials of both decision makers, distorted and to some extent facilitated this process.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Karol Żakowski, University of Lodz, Faculty of International and Political Studies, Department of Asian Studies

Karol Żakowski - PhD (2010) and habilitation (2016) in political science, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of International and Political Studies, University of Lodz. He was a visiting scholar at the Kwansei Gakuin University (2008–2009), Keio University (2012–2013, Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship) and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo (2016), as well as a participant of a Japanese language course in the Japan Foundation Japanese Language Institute, Kansai (2006), and an internship in the Japanese Diet (2009). He is a member of Nihon Seiji Gakkai (Japanese Political Science Association), Association for Asian Studies, International Political Science Association, European Association for Japanese Studies, and British Association for Japanese Studies. His recent monographs include: Decision-Making Reform in Japan: The DPJ’s Failed Attempt at a Politician-Led Government (Routledge 2015) and Japan’s Foreign Policy Making: Central Government Reforms, Decision-Making Processes, and Diplomacy (co-authored with Beata Bochorodycz and Marcin Socha, Springer 2018).

References

Abe, S. Asia’s Democratic Security Diamond. Project Syndicate (December 27, 2012). Web. 23 January 2015, http://www.project-syndicate.org/print/a-strategic-alliance-for-japan-and-india-by-shinzo-abe
Google Scholar

AFP-JIJI. Despite Close Ties, Likelihood of US Auto Tariffs High Unless Abe Offers Concessions to Trump, Experts Say. “The Japan Times” (September 24, 2018). Web. November 27, 2018, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/09/24/business/economy-business/despite-close-ties-trump-may-put-japan-firing-line-u-s-trade-tensions/#.W_2NmEP4upo
Google Scholar

AP and Stars and Stripes. Trump Thanks Japan for Hosting US Military Bases. (February 11, 2017). Web. January 8, 2018, https://okinawa.stripes.com/news/trump-thanks-japan-hosting-us-military-bases
Google Scholar

Baker, P. Trump Abandons Trans-Pacific Partnership, Obama’s Signature Trade Deal. “The New York Times” (January 23, 2017). Web. January 20, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/us/politics/tpp-trump-trade-nafta.html
Google Scholar

Borger, J. and Perkins, A. Donald Trump Calls for G7 to Readmit Russia Ahead of Summit. “The Guardian” (June 9, 2018). Web. December 2, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/08/donald-trump-shows-no-sign-compromise-flies-in-g7-summit
Google Scholar

Cabinet Secretariat. National Security Strategy. (December 17, 2013). Web. July 18, 2017, http://www.cas.go.jp/jp/siryou/131217anzenhoshou/nss-e.pdf
Google Scholar

Clinton, H. America’s Pacific Century. “Foreign Policy” (October 11, 2011). Web. August 13, 2017, http://foreignpolicy.com/2011/10/11/americas-pacific-century/
Google Scholar

Executive Office of the President. Joint Press Release from Vice President Mike Pence and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso on the US-Japan Economic Dialogue (April 18, 2017). Web. January 21, 2018, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/joint-press-release-vice-president-mike-pence-deputy-prime-minister-taro-aso-u-s-japan-economic-dialogue/
Google Scholar

Flores, R. Donald Trump Tweets About China’s Currency, Military Policies After Taiwan Flap. CBS News (December 4, 2016). Web. January 27, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-tweets-china-currency-military-policies-taiwan-flap/
Google Scholar

Gray, A. and Navarro, P. Donald Trump’s Peace Through Strength Vision for the Asia-Pacific (November 7, 2016). Web. January 26, 2018, http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/11/07/donald-trumps-peace-through-strength-vision-for-the-asia-pacific/
Google Scholar

Kaczynski, A., Massie, Ch. and McDermott, N. 80 Times Trump Talked About Putin. CNN Politics (March 2017). Web. February 2, 2018, http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/03/politics/trump-putin-russia-timeline/
Google Scholar

Kiyomiya, R. Japan Sees “Change in Pyongyang” in Kono-Ri Talks. “The Asahi Shinbun” (September 28, 2018). Web. October 23, 2018, http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201809280055.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Defense. The Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation (April 27, 2015). Web. July 18, 2017, http://www.mod.go.jp/e/d_act/anpo/shishin_20150427e.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Japan-Russia Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultation (‘2+2’ Ministerial Meeting). (March 20, 2017). Web. February 2, 2018, http://www.mofa.go.jp/erp/rss/northern/page4e_000593.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Japan-Russia Summit Meeting (September 10, 2018). Web. December 2, 2018, https://www.mofa.go.jp/erp/rss/northern/page6e_000134.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Japan-US Joint Press Conference (February 11, 2017). Web. January 27, 2018, http://www.mofa.go.jp/na/na1/us/page4e_000580.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Japan–US Summit Meeting (May 26, 2017). Web. January 29, 2018, http://www.mofa.go.jp/na/na1/us/page3e_000689.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Japan–US Summit Meeting (September 21, 2017). Web. January 29, 2018, http://www.mofa.go.jp/na/na1/us/page3e_000762.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Japan–US Summit Meeting (April 18, 2018). Web. June 2, 2018, https://www.mofa.go.jp/na/na1/us/page3e_000845.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Joint Statement (February 10, 2017). Web. January 27, 2018, http://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000227768.pdf
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Prime Minister Abe Receives a Courtesy Call from US Defense Secretary Mattis (February 3, 2017). Web. January 27, 2018, http://www.mofa.go.jp/na/st/page3e_000644.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Prime Minister Abe Visits China (October 26, 2018). Web. December 2, 2018, https://www.mofa.go.jp/a_o/c_m1/cn/page3e_000958.html
Google Scholar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Second Round of the Japan-U.S. Economic Dialogue between Deputy Prime Minister Aso and Vice President Pence of the United States of America (October 17, 2017). Web. January 21, 2018, http://www.mofa.go.jp/na/na2/us/page4e_000686.html
Google Scholar

NBC Universal Media. Japan Dismisses the Idea of a Two-way Trade pact with the US, No Matter What Trump Wants (November 6, 2017). Web. January 21, 2018, https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/06/japan-dismisses-the-idea-of-a-two-way-trade-pact-with-the-us-no-matter-what-trump-wants.html
Google Scholar

Rose, G. Neoclassical Realism and Theories of Foreign Policy. “World Politics”, vol. 51, no. 1 (1998), 144–172. Stevenson, A. and Rich, M. Trans-Pacific Trade Partners Are Moving On, Without the US. “The New York Times” (November 11, 2017). Web. January 22, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/11/business/trump-tpp-trade.html
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0043887100007814

Tōgō Kazuhiko. Kiki no Gaikō – Shushō Danwa, Rekishi Ninshiki, Ryōdo Mondai [Crisis Diplomacy – Prime Minister’s Statement, History Awareness, Territorial Issues]. Tokyo: Kadokawa, 2015.
Google Scholar

US Department of Defense. Joint Press Briefing by Secretary Mattis and Minister Inada in Tokyo, Japan (February 4, 2017). Web. January 8, 2018, https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/1071436/joint-press-briefing-by-secretary-mattis-and-minister-inada-in-tokyo-japan/
Google Scholar

Yamaguchi Noriyuki. Antō [Battle]. Tokyo: Gentōsha, 2017.
Google Scholar

Yamaguchi Noriyuki. Sōri [The Prime Minister]. Tokyo: Gentōsha, 2017.
Google Scholar

Zakowski, K. Decision-Making Reform in Japan: The DPJ’s Failed Attempt at a Politician-Led Government. London–New York: Routledge, 2015.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315720289

Downloads

Published

2019-07-15

How to Cite

Żakowski, K. (2019). Revision of Japan’s Foreign Policy After Donald Trump’s Electoral Victory. International Studies. Interdisciplinary Political and Cultural Journal, 23(1), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.18778/1641-4233.23.06

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 1 (2019): International Responses to President Trump’s Foreign Policy: The First Two Years

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.