| Modern Japan had undergone rapid transformation, rising from a quasi-Western colony to an economic superpower in the span of less than 140 years. Using grand strategy as a conceptual tool, the study traces Japan's reaction to the externalities of domestic and external change. By dividing modern Japan into three conceptual periods---Meiji, late Showa and Heisei---this study examines the evolution of Japanese grand strategy from fukoku kyohei to the Yoshida doctrine, and finally culminating in the Koizumi doctrine. The grand strategic framework comprising tactics, strategies and grand strategic goals adopted in this study provides a systematic structure to examine Japan's core national objectives, and their supporting policies to achieve these goals. Elite interviews were used to solicit views and ideas from a diverse group of Japanese and non-Japanese elite from government, politics, academia and the corporate sector on the present condition and future direction of the nation. Government and non-government reports were also employed to tap into the Japanese mindset. Findings indicate that there is broad consensus that Japan is ripe for change and a paradigmatic shift is in the works. The Koizumi doctrine grand strategy presented here is an approximation of Japan's hopes and aspirations as well as challenges that it would have to face in the near future. The Koizumi doctrine espousing the virtues of "acting together, advancing together" is centered on three grand strategic goals: (a) achieving structural power, (b) preserving national tranquility, and (c) preserving its economic competitiveness. Although the Koizumi doctrine is in its formative stages, there are signs that Japan is breaking out of its "political pygmy, economic giant" stereotype, and is poised to embrace a higher international profile, including for the first time since WWII, a significant security posture. |
