HURDLES TO JAPAN’S QUEST FOR SELF-PROCURED SECURITY
Recent trends in Japan’s quest for greater self-security raise two very important questions that have been inadequately addressed: How can Japan fully achieve self-security with a lagging and constrained domestic defense industry, and is the manning of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) at risk amid population decline and an aging population, or have adequate measures been put in place to address these challenges? This thesis seeks to explore the drivers underlying these two constraints on fully realized self-defense, such as long-rooted anti-military norms that influence both the defense industry and participation in the JSDF, as well as potential reforms Japan might implement to enhance the capabilities of its industry and mitigate the effects of demographic change. To alleviate these constraints, Japan may need to reduce additional burdens on domestic industry in order to achieve greater economies of scale. To offset the effects of population decline, Japan may ultimately be compelled to consider more far-reaching measures, such as amending the constitution to legitimize the JSDF, introducing conscription, or similarly radical reforms.
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