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The Use of Soft Power in Japan’s Foreign Relations

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Japan’s Foreign Policy in the 1990s

Part of the book series: St Antony’s Series ((STANTS))

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Abstract

Japan’s soft power derives from its economic, financial and technological power. Its structural power in the world economy is, for example, illustrated by its status as one of the world’s major importer of raw materials and energy resources, which gives Japan considerable influence on the options and bargaining powers of other countries which are vulnerable to Japan either because they are competing with Japan for the same resources or because they are dependent on the export of these resources. Increasingly Japan is translating this structural power into influence on the shape of the international regimes which are important for free trade and the availability of these resources. So far Japan had relied on the US and other Western powers to secure appropriate regimes, and in the first instance relied on economic measures such as aid and investment to achieve access and secure supply.

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Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Newcastle, UK

    Reinhard Drifte (Professor and Chair of Japanese Studies and Director of the Newcastle East Asia Centre)

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  1. Reinhard Drifte
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© 1996 Reinhard Drifte

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Drifte, R. (1996). The Use of Soft Power in Japan’s Foreign Relations. In: Japan’s Foreign Policy in the 1990s. St Antony’s Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230372368_4

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