Book Chapter

Japan's Maritime Past, Present and Future 1

Patalano, Alessio

2012

Overview

In the growing literature on the emergence of contemporary East Asia, China is often portrayed as a case in point of how sea power influences the ways in which a nation-state redefines its international status and influence. Prospects of a former Soviet aircraft carrier flying Chinese colors sometime in the future or of a new generation of diesel submarines patrolling Asian waters are evidence enough of a \"red star\" rising over the Pacific, one ready to challenge American prominence on the great commons. Yet, whereas China's maritime empowerment is still in the making, Japan's is not. Japan possesses today one of the world's most technologically advanced fleets, with a surface force more than twice the size of the Royal Navy's and a submarine component twice that of the French Navy. This force is complemented in its constabulary functions by a large and capable coast guard. Crucially, Japan's contemporary naval power is not the result of a rearmament following post-Cold War changes in the international system, as it is the case of other Asian state actors. It is the product of a post-war economic system and longstanding geographic features that made (and continue to make) the pursuit of a degree of sea power not a matter of choice but a strategic imperative.

• Publisher: Routledge
• ISBN: 9780415609340, 0415609348, 0415723868, 9780415723862