Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the publication of a special issue in the Australian Journal of International Affairs entitled "Diplomatic and Security Practice under Abe Shinzō: The Case for Realpolitik Japan." I served as guest editor along with Dr. Alessio Patalano.

Volume 74:6 (2020): https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/caji20/74/6

With Shinzo Abe recently abdicating the prime ministership, the release of the special issue comes at an auspicious time. We ask, in what ways are Japanese foreign and security policies changing? How far will these changes go? Will they result in a policy posture that breaks from the post-1945 approach as originally designed by Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru?

This special issue presents an original introduction article that requalifies Japan's new approach to diplomatic and security affairs, along with six research articles that address these questions in various ways, tackling the relationship between recent changes in Japanese domestic policy institutions and Japanese diplomatic and security practice. For your convenience, I list the articles with direct links below.

Happy reading and kind regards,

Giulio Pugliese

Departmental Lecturer in Japanese Politics and International Relations,
Nissan Institute, Oxford University


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AJIA, 74:6, Contents

"Diplomatic and security practice under Abe Shinzō: the case for Realpolitik Japan" -- Giulio Pugliese and Alessio Patalano
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357718.2020.1781790

"The trajectory of ODA's strategic use and reforms - from Nakasone Yasuhiro to Abe Shinzō" -- Raymond Yamamoto
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357718.2020.1787335?src=recsys

"Japan's new arms export policies: strategic aspirations and domestic constraints" -- Alexandra Sakaki and Sebastian Maslow
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357718.2020.1781789?src=recsys

"The role of informal political actors in Japanese security policymaking: the case of Kitaoka Shin'ichi" -- Misato Matsuoka
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357718.2020.1781786?src=recsys

"Explaining Japan's post-Cold War security policy trajectory: maritime realis -- Takuya Matsuda
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357718.2020.1782346?src=recsys

"Changing civil-military relations in Japan: 2009-2012" -- Simon Schwenke
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357718.2020.1781788?src=recsys

"Threat perception, government centralization, and political instrumentality in Abe Shinzo's Japan" -- Eitan Oren and Matthew Brummer
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/9GQ9NCIR2JZSAUH7EQTU/full?target=10.1080/10357718.2020.1782345