Japan’s Counterstrike Capability

Pushing the Limits of a Defense-Oriented Policy

Bibliographic Data

ID7309925
AuthorsAgustín Maciel Padilla (corresponding author), Agustin Maciel-Padilla (0000-0003-4737-1362, Rabdan Academy, UAE)
Year2025
Publication date2025-11-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Asian and African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9096 • E-ISSN: 1745-2538
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00219096251389850
OpenAlexW4416778301
LanguageEN
References cited18

This analysis explores the most significant change in Japan’s defense policy since the end of World War II, based on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government publication, in late 2022, of three policy documents proposing to expand the country’s military capabilities by increasing military spending over a 5-year period. The most remarkable proposition is to acquire a counterstrike capability, consisting of long-range cruise missiles to strike deep into a potential adversary’s territory. Contrary to arguments pointing out these plans represent an “unprecedented” transformation of Japan’s defense policy since 1946, they are rather the logical consequence of a gradual, but significant, change that has been occurring since at least a couple of decades. These recent proposals are explored within the wider debate about whether Japan should continue pursuing a pacifist posture, or to adopt a more assertive stance in response to a more threatening international environment

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