Von Abenomics zu »proaktivem Pazifismus« : Entwicklungen der japanischen Außenpolitik 2013/2014

From Abenomics to »Proactive Pacifism«: Developments in Japanese Foreign Policy 2013/2014

In the first two years of the Abe administration, Japan has witnessed one of the most dramatic changes of its foreign and security policy and to a lesser degree also its economic policy since the 1960s. The first year was dominated by Prime Minister Abe’s policies of economic reform and growth, widely referred to as »Abenomics«, which in the years 2013 and 2014 have led to a speeding up of negotiations about economic partnership agreements, but also to a severe rise in Japan’s foreign trade deficit. Between mid-2013 and mid-2014, Abe initiated and partly implemented a series of policies that he termed »proactive pacifism« (sekkyokuteki heiwashugi), with the objective to increase Japan’s national defense and its role in regional and global security affairs. This chapter analyzes these policies and their effects on bilateral relations with ten different countries and the EU, as well as three core foreign policy fields.