Postwar Japan

Japanese security, economic, institutional, and development policies have undergone a remarkable evolution in the 70 years since the end of World War II. In 2015 and 2016, CSIS invited distinguished Japanese scholars to reflect on the evolution of these policies and to draw lessons for coming decades. The resulting volume spotlights emerging Japanese thinking on key issues facing the U.S.-Japan alliance. Two broad themes knit the authors’ respective chapters together. First, the pillars of Japan’s reentry into the international community since 1945 remain no less important seven decades later. Second, Japan will need to make some hard choices in each of these areas as Chinese power grows and Japan’s own economy and society enter a more mature phase. The six chapters in this volume demonstrate the continuing viability of Japan’s postwar strategic choices, as well as the inevitability of adaptation to challenging new circumstances.