ABE THE EVOLUTIONARY: THE ROLE OF ABE SHINZŌ’S BELIEF SYSTEM IN JAPAN’S SECURITY POLICY CHANGE FROM ‘PACIFISM’ TO ‘PROACTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE’ UPON HIS RETURN AS JAPAN’S PRIME MINISTER (2012-2019)

Abstract

Japan has been widely known as one of the countries with the strongest military power due to its advance and comprehensive defense-related technology. However, due to the U.S.-imposed pacifist Article 9 of its 1947 Constitution, Japan has been unable to maximize its military power and has been facing a decades-old dilemma and debates over the country’s role and legality in security and defense-related matters; even at times where the country is facing an increasingly hostile environment added with an evolving domestic politics. However, Abe Shinzō’s comeback as the Prime Minister in 2012 seemed to have brought various significant changes to the country’s security and defense policy history under his ‘Proactive Contribution to Peace’ notion, prompting controversies and critics inside and outside of the country ever since. Thus, using qualitative research method and the combined theoretical framework derived from the principles of Neoclassical Realism, Holsti’s Belief System theory, and Hermann’s Foreign Policy Change theory; this thesis aims to analyze how and to what extent Abe’s belief system had shaped his decision-making process that eventually resulted into his ‘PCP’ security policy initiatives established within 2012-2019. This thesis finds that Abe’s belief system had indeed highly-influenced the making of his ‘PCP’ security policy. With his strong self-image, negative threat perceptions toward Japan’s surrounding as well as his strong nationalist-conservative beliefs; this thesis overall concludes that Abe’s had brought a major change to Japan’s security policy from ‘Pacifism’ to ‘Proactive’, passing all Hermann’s criteria of Foreign Policy Change namely Adjustment, Program, Problem/ Goal, and International Orientation Changes. Though categorized as incremental, the changes brought by Abe indeed proved how he is by far the most influential and evolutionary leader of Japan and how the country has met the minimum standard of International Orientation Change; departing from its buck-passing, Post-War ‘Pacifism’ identity toward a new era as a “Proactive Contributor to Peace” that is not only able to protect itself from the emerging threats, but also the peace and security of the international community.