英文摘要 |
U.S.-Japanese cooperation on missile defense dates back to the 1980s and the Reagan administration's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). At that time, Japan's participation in SDI was merely symbolic of U.S.-Japanese security cooperation and helped to mitigate economic and trade disputes with Washington. This changed in August 1998 when North Korea tested its Taepo Dong-1 ballistic missile. Even for the Japanese people, who are generally considered pacifists post-World War II, the Taepo Dong-1 flying over their heads was an alarming wake-up call. Immediately afterward, Tokyo joined Washington in cooperative research and development of a ballistic missile defense system. The revelation that North Korea had continued its work on nuclear weapons development and Pyongyang's subsequent withdrawal from the NPT in 2003 convinced Tokyo to officially acquire a ballistic missile defense capability. Thus, on December 19, 2003, it issued the cabinet decision ''On Introduction of Ballistic Missile Defense System and Other Measures.'' Ever since, establishing a robust missile defense system has been a top national security priority for Japan. This article concluded that Japan's missile defense strategy consists of three elements including ''Preventive Defense'', ''Deterrence'', and ''Defense''. This strategy has not changed with the change in government. |