JAPAN
12 June 2023
Book Review – Le Japon: un Leader Discret
Professor Guibourg Delamotte's new book on Japan is a must-read as Japan forges an ever closer relationship with Europe, in the face of an assertive China and an unstable US.
For some decades now, Japan has suffered from the widespread perception of economic stagnation and being a political pygmy. But this would be a severe misconception, as Professor Guibourg Delamotte outlines in her excellent new French-language book, "Le Japon: un Leader Discret" (Japan, a discreet leader).
Delamotte is arguably France's leading expert on Japanese studies, as evidenced by the publication of her previous book, "La démocratie au Japon, singulière et universelle". And today she is a professor and researcher at two leading French institutions, National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilisations (Inalco) and The French Research Institute on East Asia (l'IFRAE).
In her new book on Japan as a discreet leader, she addresses fundamentally the issue of Japanese power. The opening chapter sets the scene by providing readers with an overview of Japan's history over the past two centuries.
During the 19th century Japan came under pressure, especially from America's Commodore Perry and his black ships, to open up its previously closed economy. Japan would subsequently rise dramatically as an economic and political power, colonising neighbours like China, Korea and Taiwan, and challenging the US, notably at Pearl Harbour.
Following the destruction of Japan at the end of World War 2, the country was rebuilt as a democracy and became an economic powerhouse. But economic dynamism was short-lived, as in the early 1990s Japan was struck down by a financial crisis, and a rapidly ageing population.
But as Delamotte explains, notwithstanding continuing stagnation, Japan remains the world's third biggest economy, after the US and China, China having overtaken Japan in 2010. And under the leadership of Shinzo Abe (2012 to 2020) Japan grew in stature on the political scene, notably in tandem with the erratic presidency of America’s Donald Trump and assertive leadership of China’s Xi Jinping.
One of the notable features of postwar US leadership was to transform former enemies like Germany and Japan into friends and allies. Thus, in her second chapter, Delamotte presents the key elements of Japan's national governance which remains shaped by the US: first, a Constitution drafted by the postwar American occupation; the Treaty of San Francisco which re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers; and the US-Japan Alliance, a military alliance between the two countries.
Delamotte's third chapter explains the complexity of Japan's relations with its regional neighbourhood. Today, Japan is the most popular country in Southeast Asia (ahead of both China and the US). It also has excellent relations with India and Taiwan. But pre-war colonial history still troubles relations with the two Koreas and China, as the latter seeks to assert leadership in East Asia.
Defence policy is perhaps the area where Japan has most abandoned its discretion, as Delamotte explains in chapter four. And for good reason, Japanese defence planners believe that Japan’s security environment is the worst of any time since World War II and one of the worst of any country in the world, being surrounded by China, North Korea and Russia, as well as sitting next door to Taiwan.
Thus, former Prime Minister Abe’s administration secured a new interpretation of Japan’s pacifist constitution, such that Japan could henceforth engage in “collective self-defence,” allowing it to come to the aid of a close ally like the US under attack. And more recently, in December 2022, the Japanese government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took a giant step forward when it announced an unprecedented step-up in Japan’s security and defence strategy. In Japan’s new National Security Strategy, China was for the first time ever identified as “the greatest strategic challenge” facing Japan. The Strategy also reiterated Tokyo’s strong stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Thus, the traditionally pacifist Japan plans to double its defence spending, from 1% to 2% of GDP over the next five years. This will lift Japan from ninth to third among the world’s leading countries in terms of military spending.
As explained in Chapter 5, Japan has long been attached to the multilateral system. This was evident in the recent very successful G7 summit held in Hiroshima, to which Japanese Prime Minister Kishida invited as guests countries like India and Korea. Japan’s leadership in the multilateral trade agenda has also been evident in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
In Chapter 6, Delamotte tackles perhaps Japan’s greatest challenges, notably social and societal challenges like the ageing population, low fertility, and the role of women in a male-dominated society. Japan also needs to do more to respond more to the challenge of climate change, as it struggles to reopen nuclear power stations after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and exploit its enormous potential in renewable energy.
Japan is a country that France, Europe and indeed all of us need to understand better. Despite stagnation, it remains an economic powerhouse. It is a strong democracy, being ranked more highly than both France and the US by the Economist Intelligence Unit. And it is forging an ever stronger partnership with Europe, notably through the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, and its close ties with NATO.
In this context, French students, academics, and business and civil society leaders would find no better reference than Guibourg Delamotte’s “Le Japan: un leader discret”.
Delamotte is arguably France's leading expert on Japanese studies, as evidenced by the publication of her previous book, "La démocratie au Japon, singulière et universelle". And today she is a professor and researcher at two leading French institutions, National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilisations (Inalco) and The French Research Institute on East Asia (l'IFRAE).
In her new book on Japan as a discreet leader, she addresses fundamentally the issue of Japanese power. The opening chapter sets the scene by providing readers with an overview of Japan's history over the past two centuries.
During the 19th century Japan came under pressure, especially from America's Commodore Perry and his black ships, to open up its previously closed economy. Japan would subsequently rise dramatically as an economic and political power, colonising neighbours like China, Korea and Taiwan, and challenging the US, notably at Pearl Harbour.
Following the destruction of Japan at the end of World War 2, the country was rebuilt as a democracy and became an economic powerhouse. But economic dynamism was short-lived, as in the early 1990s Japan was struck down by a financial crisis, and a rapidly ageing population.
But as Delamotte explains, notwithstanding continuing stagnation, Japan remains the world's third biggest economy, after the US and China, China having overtaken Japan in 2010. And under the leadership of Shinzo Abe (2012 to 2020) Japan grew in stature on the political scene, notably in tandem with the erratic presidency of America’s Donald Trump and assertive leadership of China’s Xi Jinping.
One of the notable features of postwar US leadership was to transform former enemies like Germany and Japan into friends and allies. Thus, in her second chapter, Delamotte presents the key elements of Japan's national governance which remains shaped by the US: first, a Constitution drafted by the postwar American occupation; the Treaty of San Francisco which re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers; and the US-Japan Alliance, a military alliance between the two countries.
Delamotte's third chapter explains the complexity of Japan's relations with its regional neighbourhood. Today, Japan is the most popular country in Southeast Asia (ahead of both China and the US). It also has excellent relations with India and Taiwan. But pre-war colonial history still troubles relations with the two Koreas and China, as the latter seeks to assert leadership in East Asia.
Defence policy is perhaps the area where Japan has most abandoned its discretion, as Delamotte explains in chapter four. And for good reason, Japanese defence planners believe that Japan’s security environment is the worst of any time since World War II and one of the worst of any country in the world, being surrounded by China, North Korea and Russia, as well as sitting next door to Taiwan.
Thus, former Prime Minister Abe’s administration secured a new interpretation of Japan’s pacifist constitution, such that Japan could henceforth engage in “collective self-defence,” allowing it to come to the aid of a close ally like the US under attack. And more recently, in December 2022, the Japanese government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took a giant step forward when it announced an unprecedented step-up in Japan’s security and defence strategy. In Japan’s new National Security Strategy, China was for the first time ever identified as “the greatest strategic challenge” facing Japan. The Strategy also reiterated Tokyo’s strong stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Thus, the traditionally pacifist Japan plans to double its defence spending, from 1% to 2% of GDP over the next five years. This will lift Japan from ninth to third among the world’s leading countries in terms of military spending.
As explained in Chapter 5, Japan has long been attached to the multilateral system. This was evident in the recent very successful G7 summit held in Hiroshima, to which Japanese Prime Minister Kishida invited as guests countries like India and Korea. Japan’s leadership in the multilateral trade agenda has also been evident in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
In Chapter 6, Delamotte tackles perhaps Japan’s greatest challenges, notably social and societal challenges like the ageing population, low fertility, and the role of women in a male-dominated society. Japan also needs to do more to respond more to the challenge of climate change, as it struggles to reopen nuclear power stations after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and exploit its enormous potential in renewable energy.
Japan is a country that France, Europe and indeed all of us need to understand better. Despite stagnation, it remains an economic powerhouse. It is a strong democracy, being ranked more highly than both France and the US by the Economist Intelligence Unit. And it is forging an ever stronger partnership with Europe, notably through the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, and its close ties with NATO.
In this context, French students, academics, and business and civil society leaders would find no better reference than Guibourg Delamotte’s “Le Japan: un leader discret”.