THE INCREASING FACTORS OF JAPAN’S MILITARY BUDGET IN FACING REGIONAL DYNAMIC UNDER SHINZO ABE
Abstract
This primary of this research is to analyze the increasing of the Japanese military budget under Shinzo Abe. After the defeat of Japan in World War II, the United States emphasized demilitarization which made Japan into a pacifist state. Pacifism was not only restricting the Japanese military power but also particularly in the limiting of the military budget which could only spent 1% of the Gross Domestic Product. However, 1% limitation in the military budget can be considered as driving forces behind the economic growth and the advanced of the Japanese industrial which made Japan is a superior state. Meanwhile, Japan under Shinzo Abe decides to increase the military budget in order to deal with the change of security issue in East Asia. By using the Constructivism theory, the author will explain the reasons behind the increasing of the Japanese military budget by look at the perception of Shinzo Abe toward the increasing of Chinese military capability and the development of North Korean nuclear weapon test.