Japan’s Foreign Assistance: From Economic Cooperation to Military Capacity Building

After the Second World War, Japan adopted Article 9 in its constitution, which renounced using force in its foreign policy. The use of the military was strictly limited to Japan’s self-defence. Consequently, the country’s foreign assistance became the most important foreign policy tool for restoring relations with neighbouring countries in Asia, on which Japan had inflicted enormous suffering and damage during the war.

Most recently, foreign assistance has become an increasingly significant instrument contributing to Japan’s national security, reflecting fundamental changes in the political system and Japan’s security environment. This presentation will provide a general overview of Japan’s foreign assistance and discuss its recent securitisation from different theoretical perspectives.

Since 2020, Raymond Yamamoto has been an Associate Professor at the Department of Global Studies, Aarhus University. He is also an Adjunct Fellow at Pacific Forum, a leading think tank focused on Asia, located in Hawaii. Before his current role, Raymond served as an Assistant Professor at Aarhus University starting in 2017. Prior to that, he worked as a Special Appointed Researcher at Osaka University from 2015 to 2016 and as an Adjunct Lecturer at Osaka University from 2016 to 2017. Raymond holds a Ph.D. in Japan Studies from Hamburg University, obtained in 2015.

The event will take place in hybrid form

Location: LMU Japan-Center, Oettingenstraße 67, Room 123

Participation in the lecture on the Zoom meeting (no registration required):

https://lmu-munich.zoom-x.de/j/68328519027?pwd=t30TLgykjsPWMeq5J5Vm1U7aJR43hk.1

Meeting-ID: 683 2851 9027, Kenncode: 232590