Changing Security Policies in Postwar Japan - The Political Biography of Japanese Defense Minister Sakata Michita

This study provides a political biography of Sakata Michita, a major figure in postwar Japanese politics who served as Japan's minister of defense. The author focuses on Sakata's role in forging Japanese defense policy and managing relations with allies and examines how his legacy informs contemporary debates about the country's security policy.

List of contents

Chapter 1: The Arrival of Director General Sakata
Chapter 2: Sakata's "Study Group Considering Defense Issues"
Chapter 3: A Ploy during Diet Arguments
Chapter 4: The Change in Public Opinion on Defense
Chapter 5: The Sakata-Schlesinger Talks
Chapter 6: Schlesinger's Dismissal and Return to Japan
Chapter 7: How SDF Personnel Were Seen
Chapter 8: The Basic Defense Force Concept: A New Defense Philosophy
Chapter 9: The Landmark Defense White Paper
Chapter 10: Innovations in Defense Policy: The "National Defense Program Guidelines" and the National Defense Council
Chapter 11: The MiG-25 Incident
Chapter 12: The Lockheed Scandal and False Accusations
Chapter 13: Watching the Intraparty Conflict
Chapter 14: Sakata Michita after His Term as Director General

About the author

Masamori Sase is professor emeritus at the National Defense Academy of Japan and visiting scholar at Takushoku University.

Robert D. Eldridge is former associate professor of Japanese political and diplomatic history at Osaka University.

Graham B. Leonard earned a PhD in international public policy from Osaka University.

Summary

This study provides a political biography of Sakata Michita, a major figure in postwar Japanese politics who served as Japan’s minister of defense. The author focuses on Sakata’s role in forging Japanese defense policy and managing relations with allies and examines how his legacy informs contemporary debates about the country’s security policy.

Product details

• Authors: Sase Masamori, Masamori Sase
• Assisted by: Robert D. Eldridge (Translation), Graham B. Leonard (Translation), Eldridge Robert D. (Editor and translation), Graham B. Leonard (Editor and translation)
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.12.2017
• EAN: 9781498552608
• ISBN: 978-1-4985-5260-8
• No. of pages: 182
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Japan, Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, Biography: historical, political & military, Asia, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Asian, HISTORY / Asia / Japan, International Relations, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, Politics and government, Regional / International studies, Asian History, History and Archaeology, Biography: historical, political and military, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period)