University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation

Despite its limited presence in the international arms market, great strides have been made in the Japanese defense industry over the last decade, including development of new transport aircraft, a ballistic missile defense system, and a new class of submarines. While these achievements are partly motivated by internal drivers and themselves have driven the capability areas prioritized in the 2010 National Defense Program Guidelines, the main driving force has been the geostrategic realities in East Asia, particularly China’s A2/AD capabilities. Although Japan is making progress, missing capabilities have been brought to the forefront in the aftermath of the Great East Japan earthquake.