143 Anno XVIII - 2008 - Marina Militare

system, the JMSDF has effectively moved
towards a more flexible force with an improved
ability to perform both ASW and expeditionary
operations (to defend off-shore islands as well
as provide humanitarian assistance). Yet, taken
altogether, these platforms are unlikely to
empower the country with sustainable offensive
capabilities, as it is implicit in maritime power
projection.
From a political point of view, over the past
few years the boundaries of Japan’s defence
have been stretched and widened to the point
that in 2006, former Prime Minister Abe argued
that in the case of imminent missile threats to
the archipelago, it was admissible the use of
pre-emptive strikes on foreign hostile missile
bases. 63 These considerations notwithstanding,
the archipelago’s constitutional law has not
changed and still it ‘does not permit armed
troops to be dispatched to the land, sea, or
airspace of other countries with the aim of
using force’. The normative status quo, whilst
in evolution, is representative of a constraint in
the use of military power which is not merely
political, but also social and psychological on a
wider national level. Similarly, the pursuit of an
‘exclusively defence-oriented’ military posture
continues to represent one of the bedrocks of
the country’s defence policy-making process. 64
These fundamental facets of Japan’s defence
posture are unlikely to undergo radical changes
in the future and it is far from automatic to
assume that partial revisions (most notably, the
inclusion of the right to participate to forms
of collective self-defence) will automatically
translate into more offensive military strategies.
The pathway of Japan’s post-war naval strategy
and policies lead to the conclusion that what
Japan is maturing is an amphibious capability
to match the responsibilities as one of the
largest world economies. The awakening to the
problems of world’s stability played a significant
role in the navy’s decision to procure platforms
to operate at greater distances and to maintain
the command of the sea in the areas like the Sea
of Japan and the East China Sea. The Osumi and
Hyuga class of ships are the iconic symbols of
the JMSDF’s capacity to procure assets capable
of empowering Tokyo’s policy-planners with the
strategic flexibility to commit to expeditionary
missions. Whether and to what extent Japan’s
governments will decide to engage in this sort of
mission is a different story, one that will require
more time to write.
KunisAKi e CLAsse Musyu in nAvigAzione
Missione indonesiA
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