Politics, Economics and Foreign Policies Post-Earthquake Japan-Doing OK but Must do Better | ISPI
Skip to main content

Search form

  • INSTITUTE
  • CLERICI PALACE
  • CONTACT US
  • MEDMED

  • login
  • EN
  • IT
Home
  • INSTITUTE
  • CLERICI PALACE
  • CONTACT US
  • MEDMED
  • Home
  • RESEARCH
    • CENTRES
    • Asia
    • Cybersecurity
    • Europe and Global Governance
    • Business Scenarios
    • Middle East and North Africa
    • Radicalization and International Terrorism
    • Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia
    • Infrastructure
    • PROGRAMMES
    • Africa
    • Energy Security
    • Global cities
    • Latin America
    • Migration
    • Religions and International Relations
    • Transatlantic Relations
  • ISPI SCHOOL
  • Publications
  • EVENTS
  • CORPORATE PROGRAMME
    • about us
    • Closed-door meetings
    • Scenario Conferences
    • Members
    • Executive Education
  • EXPERTS

  • Home
  • RESEARCH
    • CENTRES
    • Asia
    • Cybersecurity
    • Europe and Global Governance
    • Business Scenarios
    • Middle East and North Africa
    • Radicalization and International Terrorism
    • Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia
    • Infrastructure
    • PROGRAMMES
    • Africa
    • Energy Security
    • Global cities
    • Latin America
    • Migration
    • Religions and International Relations
    • Transatlantic Relations
  • ISPI SCHOOL
  • Publications
  • EVENTS
  • CORPORATE PROGRAMME
    • about us
    • Closed-door meetings
    • Scenario Conferences
    • Members
    • Executive Education
  • EXPERTS
Studies

Politics, Economics and Foreign Policies Post-Earthquake Japan-Doing OK but Must do Better

Axel Berkofsky
15 December 2011

Japan is facing hard times. Domestic politics is stuck in a stalemate and is as ever replacing Prime Minister every 12-18 months. Economic growth remains sluggish, the country is burdened with public debt amounting to 200% of the country’s GDP while at the same being confronted with a possibly nuclear-armed North Korea and a militarily growing assertive China. ISPI Studies has invited five authors European, Japanese and American authors to make sense of the current state and trends of Japanese politics, economics and foreign policies. Franz Waldenberger and Jens Eilker point out that although the pace of Japan’s economic recovery is impressive after the March 2011 earthquake, they point to several significant weaknesses as regards crisis management, governance and risk communication. The economic cost of the triple of March 11, 2011 disaster, they estimate, amounts to less than 5% of Japanese GDP. In the meantime, supply chains affected by the earthquake are largely up and running again and the efficiency of the reconstruction efforts has been second to none. Haruko Satoh argues that after March 11, 2011, the Japanese people have lost trust in politics and the state. The government, she argues, handled the nuclear crisis incredibly badly and provided the people with late and bogus information what confirmed that Japan’s policymakers were clueless and not ready to handle the consequences of such a crisis. The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Satoh argues, is confronted with the task of restoring that public trust in politics and politicians. Japan, Yoichi Hosoya suggests in his paper, will continue to muddle through as regards domestic politics. Since taking power in September 2009, the ruling party has been unable to govern the country efficiently. The March 2011 earthquake, Hosoya argues, further intensified the stalemate and lack of dynamism in Japanese domestic politics. Inner-DPJ divisions and disagreements, a lack of a majority in the second chamber of the Japanese parliament and weak political leadership made sure that the country’s electorate remain unconvinced that the DPJ is able to change the work politics ‘work’ in Japan. Paul Midford and Brad Glosserman both analyze the state and trends of Japanese foreign and security policies.

Scarica:  Politics, Economics and Foreign Policies Post-Earthquake Japan-Doing OK but Must do Better, December 2011

Read more:

China, the Indo-Pacific and NATO: Staying Relevant in a Shifting World Order
Jagannath Panda
Institute for Security and Development Policy
China’s Quest for the Global South
Filippo Fasulo
Co-Head, ISPI Centre on Business Scenarios
For China, the 14th BRICS Summit Is a Chance to Sponsor Its World View
Filippo Fasulo
ISPI
How the Ukraine War Fuels Great Power Competition in Asia
Filippo Fasulo
ISPI
,
Giulia Sciorati
ISPI and University of Trento
Biden al contrattacco economico
Filippo Fasulo
ISPI
Great Power Competition and National Interests Inform Asian Perspectives On Ukraine
Giulia Sciorati
ISPI and University of Trento
,
Filippo Fasulo
ISPI

Tags

Japan Economics Foreign policy Asia
Versione stampabile

Autori

Axel Berkofsky
Associate Research Fellow

GET OUR UPDATES

SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER

About ISPI - Work with us - Experts - Contact - For Media - Privacy

ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies) - Palazzo Clerici (Via Clerici 5 - 20121 Milan) - P.IVA IT02141980157