Yoshida Doctrine
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The Yoshida Doctrine was a strategy adopted by Japan after its defeat in 1945 under Prime Minister
Shigeru Yoshida (22 September 1878 – 20 October 1967) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954. Yoshida was one of the longest-serving Japanese prime ministers, and is the third-long ...
, the prime minister 1948–1954. He concentrated upon reconstructing Japan's domestic economy while relying heavily on the security alliance with the United States. The Yoshida Doctrine emerged in 1951 and it shaped Japanese foreign policy into the 21st century. First, Japan is firmly allied with the United States in the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
against Communism. Second, Japan relies on American military strength and limits its own defense forces to a minimum. Third, Japan emphasizes economic diplomacy in its world affairs. The economic dimension was fostered by
Hayato Ikeda was a Japanese bureaucrat and later politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964. He is best known for his Income Doubling Plan, which promised to double Japan's GDP in ten years. Ikeda is also known for repairing U.S.-J ...
who served as Yoshida's finance minister and later was prime minister. The Yoshida doctrine was accepted by the United States; the actual term was coined in 1977. Most historians argue the policy was wise and successful, but a minority criticize it as naïve and inappropriate.


Historical background

Even after its surrender in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the Japanese government continued to function. It held its first post-war election in the spring of 1946. This election was also the first time women were allowed to vote in Japan. Yoshida Shigeru emerged as the winner of the election, becoming Prime Minister. Around the same time, discontent grew over the previous
Meiji Constitution The Constitution of the Empire of Japan (Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , ), known informally as the Meiji Constitution (, ''Meiji Kenpō''), was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which was proclaimed on February 11, 1889, and remained in for ...
, and a desire for an entirely new constitution grew. A small team from a section of
SCAP SCAP may refer to: * S.C.A.P., an early French manufacturer of cars and engines * Security Content Automation Protocol * ''The Shackled City Adventure Path'', a role-playing game * SREBP cleavage activating protein * Supervisory Capital Assessment ...
helped draft a new constitution. After some revisions, the Japanese Diet approved this new
Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
in November 1946, it took effect in May 1947, and it continues on today. One important aspect of the Constitution was Article 9 which stated that "the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation" and that military forces "will never be maintained". When Yoshida Shigeru made his policies (the Yoshida Doctrine) Article 9 played a large role.


Core elements


Reliance on the United States

The Yoshida doctrine and Japan's foreign policy of the time, emphasized mutual relations with the United States. Japan relied on the United States’ military for security, because of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, being denied the right to war-making potential. Repeated attempts by the United States, in following years, to get Japan to increase its military expenditure were rejected by Prime Minister Yoshida on the basis of Japan's pacifist post-war constitution. Military was not the only thing Japan relied on the United States for. During the Cold War, Japan's largest trading partner was the United States. Exports to the United States at the time played a large role in Japan's economic development.


Economic emphasis

Prime Minister Yoshida's aim was to focus all available means on an economic recovery. Given the lack of military power, Japanese foreign policy naturally placed emphasis on economic policy. Yoshida envisioned a speedy economic recovery through which Japan would be able to once again become a major world power (at which point Japan would be in a position to rearm). His policy was thus not rooted in pacifism but was in line with the realist foreign policy that's been a dominating force in Japan's approach to international relations since the
Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
. Yoshida and finance minister
Hayato Ikeda was a Japanese bureaucrat and later politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964. He is best known for his Income Doubling Plan, which promised to double Japan's GDP in ten years. Ikeda is also known for repairing U.S.-J ...
took leadership roles as Japan began to rebuild its industrial infrastructure and placed a premium on unrestrained economic growth. Many of these concepts still impact Japan's political and economic policies.Shigeru, Yoshida and Hiroshi Nara. (2007). ''Shigeru: Last Meiji Man.'' Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ;


See also

*
Foreign policy doctrine A foreign policy doctrine is a general statement of foreign policy and belief system through a doctrine. In some cases, the statement is made by a political leader, typically a nation’s chief executive or chief diplomat, and comes to be named af ...
*
Fukuda Doctrine The Fukuda Doctrine is based on a speech by Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda. In 1977, while on a tour of the ASEAN member states, the prime minister made a speech in Manila in which he articulated Japan's foreign policy that later became known ...
*
Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan The , more commonly known as the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty in English and as the or just in Japanese, is a treaty that permits the presence of U.S. military bases on Japanese soil, and commits the two nations to defend each other if one or th ...


Notes


Further reading

* Chai, Sun-Ki. "Entrenching the Yoshida defense doctrine: Three techniques for institutionalization." ''International Organization'' (1997): 389-41
online
* Dower, John W. ''Empire and Aftermath: Yoshida Shigeru and the Japanese Experience, 1878-1954'' (1988). * Edström, Bert. "The International Cold Warrior: Ikeda Hayato." in Edström, ''Japan’s Evolving Foreign Policy Doctrine'' (Palgrave Macmillan, London, 1999) pp. 46-56. * Iokibe, Makoto, and Takuya Sasaki. "The 1960s: Japan’s Economic Rise and the Maturing of the Partnership." in ''The History of U.S.-Japan Relations'' (Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore, 2017) pp. 149-169. * Rodan, Garry, Hewison, Kevin and Robison, Richard. (1997). ''The Political Economy of South-East Asia: An Introduction.'' Melbourne:
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
. ; {{OCLC, 464661946 * Masuda, Hajimu. "Fear of World War III: Social Politics of Japan’s Rearmament and Peace Movements, 1950–1953." ''Journal of Contemporary History'' (July 2012), vol. 47, no. 3, 551-571. http://jch.sagepub.com/content/47/3/551.short * Sugita, Yoneyuki. "The Yoshida Doctrine as a myth." ''Japanese Journal of American Studies'' 27 (2016): 123-14
online
Cold War history of Japan Foreign relations of Post-war Japan Foreign policy doctrines Japanese foreign policy