Peace-Making and Party Politics: The Formation of the Domestic Foreign-Policy System in Postwar Japan

It is often said that there have been two distinct camps on issues of foreign policy in postwar Japan. The ruling conservatives have consistently supported a policy of close alliance with the United States, accompanied by gradual remilitarization. The Japanese opposition, by contrast, has long been critical of both Japan's close and dependent relationship with the United States and the government's rearmament policy. As is well known, this disagreement has its roots in the period between 1945 and 1952, when Japan was occupied by the United States, representing the victorious Allied Powers of World War II. Japan adopted both its "peace constitution" and its rearmament policy during the Occupation, and the conflict and controversy this engendered have continued ever since. What is rarely appreciated, however, is the manner in which the conflicting foreign policies of the government and opposition actually complement one another. It is only when the two sides are seen together that we can really begin to appreciate the true nature of the domestic foreign-policy system of postwar Japan.