Japan’s Traditional Security Concerns

Abstract

In the post-Cold War period, while most of the world worries about new and non-traditional threats to their national security, many countries in the world are still facing the same old traditional threats. In the Asia-Pacific region, even after the end of the Cold War, many countries are trying to modernize their national defense capabilities. The tension on Korean Peninsula, China’s military buildup and other unsettled issues constitute uncertain factors. Taking these factors into account, this paper examines whether, despite the end of the Cold War and demise of the Soviet threat, traditional security issues for Japan are still alive today.