Maritime Asia: A Japanese Perspective

Japan’s maritime policy has to be seen against the context of variations in China’s historic dominance of Northeast Asia. Rivalry between the two countries has been especially strong in periods when China has been strong, and its current rise suggests that rivalry will now increase. Japan’s response has been complicated by countervailing cultural and economic affinities with China, and in the post-war era by its reaction against militarism and power politics. But China’s new assertiveness and the rise of its provocative anti-access/ area denial strategies at sea have alarmed Japan and stimulated it into a more active politico-strategic response, particularly in refreshing and extending its all important relationship with the United States.