CAPP Events: 2002

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CAPP Hosts Seminar on the Japanese Response to Terrorism

On March 29th, the Center for Asia Pacific Policy and the Japan America Society co-sponsored Dr. Tomohito Shinoda, Associate Professor from the International University of Japan, at RAND's Santa Monica office. Dr. Shinoda discussed Japan's response to terrorism with an audience of RAND staff, the members of the Japan America Society, journalists, and others.

Dr. Shinoda noted that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th represented a break from Japan's typically slow reaction to previous international crises. One week after 9/11, Koizumi announced a plan to protect U.S. bases in Japan, assist the United States in clean-up and recovery efforts in New York City, and provide aid to Pakistan and India as an incentive for their support in the campaign against terrorism. Japan also passed an anti-terrorism law to authorize Japan's Self Defense Forces (SDF) to defend U.S. bases in Japan against potential terrorist attack. In October, Japan announced it would provide SDF ships to help the United States in intelligence collection, shipment of supplies, medical services and humanitarian relief in Afghanistan.

Dr. Shinoda argued that several factors enabled Koizumi to react so quickly:

1. Lessons learned from the Gulf War. During the Gulf War, the $13 billion that Japan provided in economic aid was criticized by the international community as "too little, too late"; Japan thus learned that simply providing monetary support could be perceived as inadequate in a crisis. Japan also learned that it was important to act quickly. Forty-five minutes after the World Trade Center attacks, Koizumi called a meeting of Japan's National Security Council.
   
   
2. The "personnel factor". According to Dr. Shinoda, in contrast to the Gulf War prime minister, Koizumi is a strong, decisive leader. Also, he pointed out that Prime Minister Koizumi has competent cabinet and staff members who are not hesitant to make important decisions and provide Koizumi with knowledgeable political advice.
   
   
3. Public support for strong leadership. Leadership in crisis situations became a top priority in administrative reform efforts after Japan experienced a series of crises in the late 1990s, such as the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. These reforms reinforced crisis management procedures in the Cabinet Secretariat and enabled a quick response and strong display of leadership. Also, his strong public mandate at the time the attacks on the United States occurred allowed Koizumi to take decisive action.
   
   
4. Prior reforms in the organization of the Cabinet Secretariat. In 2001, the Secretariat was reorganized to provide more institutional flexibility, thus enabling it to act more quickly.
   
   
5. Changes in the legal environment since the Gulf War. After the Gulf War and Korean Peninsula crisis of 1994, Japan established a new legal framework by revising the Self Defense Forces Law and passing a new Regional Crisis Law that allowed the provision of military support to U.S. forces during times of crisis.

Japan's support for the campaign against terrorism has reinforced Japan's position as a strong ally and fostered close personal ties between President Bush and Koizumi. But clouds loom on the horizon. According to Dr. Shinoda, while the general consensus in Japan favors cooperation with the United States, the question of how far Japan should extend its support is an area of disagreement among politicians and the public. Ambivalence about Japan's response to terrorism reflects the difference of opinion in the country on the U.S.-Japan alliance and what many skeptics view as an asymmetrical relationship. Also, the Pentagon neglected to add Japan to a public list of major supporters in the terrorism campaign; this was a mistake Pentagon officials rectified, but the damage may already have been done. Shinoda cautioned that, should the United States expand the campaign against terrorism to launch an attack on Iraq, the limits of Japan's support are likely to be tested.