The United Nations in Japan's Foreign and Security Policy Making 1945–1992

Abstract

Despite its limited effectiveness as a serious security guarantor, Japan's keen interest in the UN is tangible. So-called ‘UN-centralism’ was officially engraved as one of the three principles of Japan's foreign policy. The UN has been portrayed very positively by Japanese mass media and is widely respected among the Japanese population at large. But until recently, Japan was (and still is) ultra-cautious in sending peace keepers. Liang Pan's book attempts to give a comprehensive picture of Japan's UN policy in a larger context of postwar Japanese foreign policy. In the early postwar period, Japan took the UN seriously as an effective guarantor of security for a defeated nation deprived of military capabilities. Despite UN limits having become apparent, Japan nonetheless continued to insist on legitimizing its security with the US through the UN Charter. The UN was extensively used to legitimize foreign policy agenda of almost all political parties, and was also selected by successive Japanese administrations as a major route through, which international status could be improved. Japan's quest for a permanent seat of the UNSC, according to the author, can be interpreted as a part of its long-term prestige seeking.