Japan’s Defense Reforms and Korean Perceptions of Japan’s Collective Self-Defense

Abstract

The past few months (to February 2014) have seen a wide scope of long-anticipated defense and security reforms take shape in Japan. Specifically, last December, the administration of Abe Shinzo released its first-ever National Security Strategy (NSS) and announced the creation of a newly minted National Security Council (NSC). Additionally, Japan released newly revised National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) on December 17. While there was some vociferous opposition in Beijing to Tokyo’s national security reforms, criticism from Seoul has been considerably more nuanced and subtle. However, the most controversial of these reforms, and one that has not yet been enacted, is Abe’s push to reinterpret Japan’s right to collective self-defense.