TRANSFORMATION OF JAPAN'S FOREIGN POLICY IN THE XXI CENTURY

Abstract

The article is devoted to the main aspects of changes in Japan’s foreign policy in the 21st century. Using the elements of event and content analysis of the main sources and events, the main stages in the development of Japan’s modern foreign policy are revealed.

The nature of changes in Japan’s foreign policy in the 21 st century correlates with the system of world order, which is transforming from unipolar US hegemony to multipolar, where powers emerge that challenge primacy at the regional and global level.

The stages in the development of Japan’s foreign policy after the Second World War logically correlate with the coordinates that were set by the development of the system in different periods. During the Cold War, US became Japans’s “security umbrella” and it focused on economic growth and economic diplomacy.

After the stage of the Cold War, the stage of globalization begins, and although Japan was in stagnation period, it is gradually entering into integration processes. During this period, Japan actively develops its “cultural diplomacy”.

The current stage in the development of international relation is distinguished by fierce competition between the United States and China, their active policy of economic separation, and the risk of a major conflict in East Asia over Taiwan. Japan has opted for an even greater alliance with the US and its allies both in the region and globally. In the new national security strategy adopted in December 2022 the priorities of modern foreign policy are clearly indicated. To sum up, it is concluded that given the complexity of the ongoing processes, Japan will have to work to reduce the risk for the development of its country, once again, taking into account the emerging system of coordinates of international relations..