Why Can’t a Power ful State like
Japan Use Armed Force Abroad?
In early 2015, two Japa nese
journalists were beheaded by
the Islamic State (IS). The IS
recorded and posted the
executions— beheadings—in
graphic detail on the Internet,
shocking and angering Japan
and the world. Many, includ-
ing Japan’s Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, called for Japan
to respond with military force.
Yet the headline “Beheadings
Frame a New Debate About
Restraints on Japan’s Military”a
calls our attention to “re straints”
on Japan’s military. What are
these re straints? Where did
they come from? Why do they
matter?
Japan is a constitutional
democracy now, but it was
not always so. Japan’s consti-
tution was largely modeled
on that of the United States,
because the United States was
the chief victor and occupier
of Japan after Japan’s surren-
der in World War II. Although
Japan was, and remains, a
power ful advanced- industrial
state with a skilled population
and the world’s third largest
economy in terms of gross
domestic product, its postwar
constitution contained several
unusual provisions and con-Behind The headlines
Japan’s Maritime Defense Forces remain the key military force in Japan
today. Like con temporary Britain, another advanced- industrial island nation,
Japan has a small army and maintains considerable naval capability to
guard its sea lanes of communication for commerce purposes. Discussions
over whether to increase the size of the army and to allow it to deploy
abroad remain controversial.64 CHAPTER TWo ■ HiStoriCAl Context oF internAtionAl relAtionSESSIR7_CH02_020_069_11P.indd 64 6/14/16 10:02 AM