ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a much-needed summary of Japan’s arms trade ban policy, which contains various issues and challenges in a complex world. Under globalization, complex linkages between security, economy and technology have been deepening. For instance, due to tight defense budgets, developed countries began to collaborate on military research and production. Japan was left behind from these international moves, but finally relaxed its arms trade ban policy in 2011 that had been firmly upheld as a symbol of pacifism. Subsequently, the current Abe government abolished the ban in 2014 and adopted a new export rule. Existing works explain Japan’s shift in a security area, including the abolishment of the ban, by arguing that Japan is seeking to maximize its interests by adjusting itself to the changed environment. Or others explain Japan’s transformation through examination of non-material factors. However, they dismiss the ramification that deepening interdependence in a security field would spawn. The chapter investigates whether the growing interdependence changed the security environment, urging Japan to modify its arms trade ban policy. It concludes that having interdependent relationships with friendly states is becoming more important than ever to protect its national security. In the era of globalization, a semi-autarkic defense production policy is not workable.
