Japan’s Aging Peace

―Competing Militarisms in Modern Japan―


Tom Le

(Pomona College)

Date/Time January 9, 2020 6:00 PM
Location Room 549 5th floor, Akamon Sogo Kenkyuto Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo  [map]
Abstract This talk challenges the conventional “normal nation” narrative in international relations scholarship by explaining why Japan has not remilitarized despite the changing international context. Japanese security policy is shaped by demographics, technology, and antimilitarism rules. The interaction between these material and ideational forces limit Japan’s power projection, while also promoting the mobilization of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) for peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief missions. I introduce the “multiple militarisms” concept to challenge conventional pacifism-militarism framework that has proven insufficient for accurately describing contemporary Japanese security policy.
Bio Tom Le, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Politics Pomona College