|
| |
Foreign policy and military
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right) with US President George W. Bush (center) and
South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun at the 2006 APEC meeting.
Japan maintains close economic and military relations with its key ally the
United States, with the US-Japan security alliance serving as the cornerstone of
its foreign policy. A member state of the United Nations since 1956, Japan is
currently serving as a non-permanent Security Council member. It is also one of
the G4 nations seeking permanent membership in the Security Council.
As a member of the G8, the APEC, the "ASEAN Plus Three", and a participant in
the East Asia Summit, Japan actively participates in international affairs. It
is also the world's second-largest donor of official development assistance,
donating 0.19% of its GNP in 2004. Japan contributed non-combatant troops to the
Iraq War, but subsequently withdrew its forces from Iraq.
Japan has several territorial disputes with its neighbors: with Russia over the
Kuril Islands, with South Korea over Takeshima, with China and Taiwan over the
Senkaku Islands (Diaoyutai Islands), and with China over the status of
Okinotorishima. These disputes are in part about the control of marine and
natural resources, such as possible reserves of crude oil and natural gas. The
country also has an ongoing dispute with North Korea over its abduction of
Japanese citizens and its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Japan's military is restricted by Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, which
renounces Japan's right to declare, or use military force in, war. Japan's
military is governed by the Ministry of Defense, and primarily consists of the
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF),
and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The military budget of Japan is
less than one percent of its GDP, spending $44.3 billion per year, as of 2005.
The forces have been recently used in peacekeeping operations and the deployment
of Japanese troops to Iraq marked the first overseas use of its military since
World War II.
| |
|
