Japan's Sea Lane Security A Matter of Life and Death [Hardcover]

This is the first major English-language study to explore the broad and longstanding connections between Japans national security and the safety of its sea lanes. Tracing issues from pre-and post-1945 eras, the book explores how Japans concerns with sea lane protection have developed across such diverse fields as military strategy, diplomacy, trade policy, energy security, and law enforcement.

Drawing upon case study material and primary research including interviews with officials and security analysts, the book presents a chronological analysis of Japans sea lane security. While Japans security policies have recently undergone relatively rapid change, a historical treatment of sea lane security issues reveals long-term continuity in security policymakers perceptions and responses regarding Japan's defence and foreign policy.

Revealing a neglected but important aspect of Japans military and economic security, the book investigates why officials and analysts continue to portray the defence of Japans sea lanes as a matter of life and death.

Introduction  1. Japans Maritime Trade and Trade Routes: An Empirical Analysis  2. Sea Lines in Strategy  3. Japans pre-1945 SLOC Security  Introduction  Maritime Economic Interests: Foreign Trade and the Merchant Marine before 1945  4. Japans Sea Lane Security in the Era of Defence  Constraints, 1945-77  5. Sea Lane Defence and Alliance Cooperation: 1977-90  6. Japans Sea Lane Diplomacy in Southeast Asia Since the 1970s  7. Japans Post-Cold War SLOC Security: Piracy and Terrorism-at-Sea 

Euan Graham is a senior research officer for the North Asia and Pacific Research Group at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.