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Examining J apanese Defense Policy and Politics Through Failures of Leadership: The Case of Prime M inister H atoyama Y ukio
Author(s) -
Clausen Daniel
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
asian politics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.193
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1943-0787
pISSN - 1943-0779
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-0787.2012.01371.x
Subject(s) - prime minister , alliance , politics , prime (order theory) , political science , prime time , treaty , public administration , public relations , law , combinatorics , mathematics
Many studies of the J apanese prime minister in defense policy and politics have focused on the outstanding success of Prime M inister K oizumi J unichiro. These studies have noted the way K oizumi used the expanded resources of the kantei , bold public statements, and political theater to make significant changes to defense policy. However, just as important as exploring success in leadership is exploring failures. These failures can teach us about evolving political strategies and enduring aspects of international, regional, and domestic contexts. The prime ministership of H atoyama Y ukio (2009–2010) is an important case because it is the first time in recent history that a prime minister has challenged—however subtle that challenge may have been—the primacy of the U.S .‐ J apan Security Treaty. H atoyama's prime ministership demonstrates the limitations of civilian internationalist approaches as a substitute for alliance maintenance with the U nited S tates, as well as the weaknesses of “consensus‐based” and “muddle through” tactics in J apanese politics.