![]() ![]() The National Security Strategy (NSS) also describes counterstrike capability as an additional component of Japan’s broader missile countering measures, not a replacement, noting “we need counterstrike capabilities: capabilities which, in the case of missile attacks by an opponent, enable Japan to mount effective counterstrikes against the opponent to prevent further attacks while defending against incoming missiles by means of the missile defense network.” Additionally, the document explicitly rejects pre-emptive strike: “Needless to say, preemptive strikes, namely striking first at a stage when no armed attack has occurred, remain impermissible.” To address these concerns, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration has called for a system to ensure counterstrikes are responsive and not preemptive. Counterstrike capability has been controversial in Japan because the weapons it requires can also be used offensively and because it can be difficult to pinpoint when an enemy attack using a missile has technically begun before the missile is actually airborne. Successive governments have interpreted Japan’s constitution to allow the use of force to defend Japan’s territory only in response to an actual attack (not if there is just a likelihood or threat of attack) and to disallow “ armaments deemed to be offensive weapons designed to be used only for the mass destruction of another country” (such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, long-range strategic bombers or “attack aircraft carriers”). ![]() This is evidenced by public opinion, with over 60 percent supporting counterstrike capability, something that seemed unimaginable even a decade ago. However, North Korea’s precipitously increasing rate of missile launches, as well as the modernization and diversification of China’s missile arsenal, has made it easier to justify the need to increase Japan’s own deterrence and defense. Japan’s long-standing aversion to such a capability has been facilitated by a combination of missile defenses (to shoot down missiles already in flight) and reliance on U.S. ![]() The most remarked upon aspect of Japan’s security documents will certainly be the authorization of what Japan calls counterstrike capability, which refers to the capacity to hit missile-related sites within an attacking country. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/The New York Times) What is the headline? Members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces rappel from a helicopter during live-fire drills in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Gotemba, Japan, Aug. USIP’s Mirna Galic looks at the new strategy and what it means for the region. The strategy navigates the country’s response to significant changes in the regional and global security environment, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and reflect Japan’s growing sense of vulnerability vis-à-vis its immediate neighbors. The strategy is Japan’s first in nearly 10 years and only its second ever. Japan released on Friday a new, robust national security strategy and complementary defense planning documents. ![]()
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