Australian Journal of Defence and Strategic Studies
AJDSS Volume 2 Number 1
Japan Rearmed: The Politics of Military Power
By Sheila A. Smith
Harvard University Press (April 2019)
Reviewed by Ben Ascione
Smith's analysis of Japanese military power comes at a timely moment. The balance of regional power in East Asia is shifting with the rise of China, the Trump administration in the United States is retreating from multilateralism, US-China rivalry in trade and technology is intensifying, and discussion of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and Indo-Pacific security cooperation is attracting renewed interest. Against the backdrop of this increasingly uncertain security environment and debate over how Japan might respond, Japan Rearmed helps illuminate the long arc of change in politics over Japan's military power since the end of the Second World War and the crossroads Japan is now approaching over the future development of its military posture.
To cite this article: Ben Ascione, 'Review: Japan Rearmed', review of Japan Rearmed by Sheila A. Smith, Australian Journal of Defence and Strategic Studies 2, 1 (2020): 144-148, http://www.defence.gov.au/ADC/publications/AJDSS/volume2-Number1/review2-Japan-rearmed-politics-of-military-power-Smith.asp
Published online: 21 August, 2020
