Date of Award

Summer 8-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Political Science & Geography

Program/Concentration

Graduate Program in International Studies

Committee Director

Richard Maass

Committee Member

Regina Karp

Committee Member

Charmaine N. Willis

Abstract

Japan is facing the most serious security environment it has ever known. In eastern Asia, China has increased its military power significantly, and North Korea’s missiles are threatening neighboring countries. Russia's invasion of Ukraine since 2022 has continued as an issue in both military and humanitarian aspects. These authoritarian states' aggressive behavior increases regional threats in the East Asia region. Besides that, expanding security fields makes it complex. To address these security concerns, one approach that Japan has explored is to strengthen its cooperation with NATO. Why has Japan chosen this path to address its security concerns? What has this increased cooperation looked like?

This research uses official publications such as the National Defense Strategy and the Agreement between Japan and NATO. This paper focuses on the transition of the cooperation between Japan and NATO from 1995 to 2025 from the perspective of International Relations theories. This thesis focuses on three case studies: Prime Minister Abe’s visit to NAC in 2007, the formulation of IPCP in 2014, and the formulation of ITPP in 2023, based on balancing theory, collective beliefs theory, and ontological security theory for analyzing this transition.

After the Cold War, Japan kept focusing on defense surrounding its territory for a while, but it has started to expand its cooperation with NATO in multiple fields, such as cyber defense, maritime defense, and humanitarian aid and natural disaster relief in the contemporary era. Even if it is a long-distance relationship, this demonstrates an important change in Japan’s security policy. Clarifying the evolution of Japan’s security framework offers a significant opportunity to understand changes in nation-state behavior in international politics.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Download

Available for download on Thursday, October 05, 2028

Share

COinS