Reports
Fighting in Maritime Gray Zone Warfare in East Asia
Author: Hideshi Tokuchi
China’s maritime expansion poses a threat to the sea’s power to connect in East Asia. This article discusses the following: first, China’s gray zone warfare at sea; second, China’s political warfare related to the sea; and third, measures Japan should take.
Policy Recommendations by the Quadripartite Commission on the Indian Ocean Regional Security
Author: Sasakawa Peace Foundation
How can the United States work with India, Japan, and Australia to promote peace, security, and economic prosperity in the Indian Ocean region? A report from the Quadrilateral Commission on Indian Ocean Security– comprised of representatives from Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Japan, Vivekananda Foundation of India, the National Security College of the Australia National University, and Sasakawa USA–makes recommendations for cooperation among major democracies.
Tags: Australia, India, indian ocean, Indo-Pacific region, Japan, Quadripartite Commission, regional security, security
Books
Japan’s Energy Conundrum
Author: Phyllis Genther Yoshida, Dennis Blair, Robert Alan Feldman, Ken Koyama, Jane Nakano, Llewelyn Hughes, Nobuo Tanaka, Yukari Niwa Yamashita, Michael Smitka, Ken Haig, Jun Arima, Tom Cutler
Sasakawa USA is pleased to bring together an outstanding group of senior scholars, all with extensive knowledge and experience, to analyze and explain the many facets of Tokyo’s energy situation and its intersection with the U.S.-Japan relationship. Japan’s Energy Conundrum provides insights into how Japan is seeking to resolve its current energy conundrum in the aftermath of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
Tags: energy, Fukushima, Japan, Nuclear, security, us-japan alliance, us-japan relations
U.S.-Japan Approaches to Democracy Promotion
Author: Daniel Bob, Michael Auslin, Larry Diamond, David J. Kramer, Yasunobu Sato, Tsuneo Akaha, David I. Steinberg, Aung Din, Richard C. Kraemer, Mitsugi Endo
March 24, 2017
Cooperation to support democratic development should be an important component of the U.S.-Japan Alliance, and this volume is intended both to endorse it and to propose practical measures for both countries to take.
Tags: democracy, Democracy Support, democratic transition, foreign policy, us-japan cooperation
Commentary & Analysis
Japan’s Changing Electricity Market: Recommendations for Policy Makers
Author: Tarak Shah, Energy Policy Consultant
Energy policy consultant Tarak Shah participated in the Sasakawa USA 2017-2018 In-Depth Alumni Research Trip to Japan. In this paper, Shah highlights current trends in the Japanese electricity market, notes areas of strength, and outlines specific changes that Japanese policy makers could implement for a safer, cleaner energy future.
Tags: energy, energy policy, Fukushima, Japan, Nuclear, renewable energy
Japan’s Plutonium Question
Author: Dr. Phyllis Genther Yoshida, Senior Fellow for Energy and Technology, Sasakawa USA
Categories: Sasakawa USA Blog
Japan must reassess the appropriate supply-demand balance of its plutonium stocks upon completion of its new energy plan. Japan has about 47 tons of separated plutonium onshore and stored in France and Great Britain for reprocessing into commercial fuel with a small amount reserved for research purposes.
Tags: Japan, Nuclear, nuclear anti-proliferation, Plutonium, security, us-japan alliance, us-japan relations
Issue Briefs
Japan’s Demographic Challenge
Underlying Japan’s long-term economic struggles is profound demographic change. With a combination of low birthrates and the world’s longest life expectancy, Japan’s population is rapidly greying and shrinking. This demographic revolution has already had significant effects on macroeconomic conditions and consumption patterns as well as the health of the social safety net. It has dramatically affected communities outside of Japan’s major cities, because rural areas have aged faster than the country as a whole, threatening their future viability. It may also be forcing Japan to update its immigration and family policies to limit the impact of demographic change.
Tags: birth rate, declining workforce, demographics, issue briefs, Japan, population, population decline
Collective Self-Defense
The right of “collective self-defense” was enshrined in Article 51 of the 1945 United Nations Charter. It refers to the right of all UN countries to use military force to defend other member nations from attack. It has provided the basis for all UN-authorized military operations, from the Korean War onwards.
Tags: article 9, China, Collective Self-Defense, Defense, defense guidelines, issue briefs, Japan, LDP, Shinzo Abe, South Korea, us-japan relationship