Japan and the Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea

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11/09/2016 14:13

Japan and the Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea

Annabel Schmitz Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit & Fundraising
Leibniz-Institut Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung

New PRIF Report by Reinhard Drifte takes a closer look at Japan’s various interests in the South China Sea and its multilateral and bilateral policies towards the region.

The South China Sea has become a showcase for how China is translating its considerable economic power into political and military power. This development poses a major challenge for the regional order. As one of the top trading nations in Southeast Asia and as a security alliance partner of the US, Japan has become involved in these territorial disputes.
Japan’s policy towards the South China Sea is thus likely to have a considerable bearing on the future shape of this region. Hence, the ultimate question is whether Japan’s policies of “proactive peace diplomacy” can contribute to a reduction of tensions and to regional stability, or whether it will only exacerbate the situation given the general deterioration in the Japanese-Chinese relationship and the lack of mutual trust.

PRIF Report No. 140 “Japan’s Policy towards the South China Sea – Applying “Proactive Peace Diplomacy”?” by Reinhard Drifte takes a closer look at Japan’s various interests in the South China Sea and its multilateral and bilateral policies to pursue these interests. The author concludes that the effectiveness of Japan’s SCS policies could be enhanced by a more balanced mix of political, economic and security policies, most notably against a background of a better relationship between Japan and China.

This PRIF Report is available as PDF: http://bit.ly/2fmax5u