Japan's role as a major power in the Asia-Pacific and the world generally makes understanding the context, drivers and nature of its foreign and security policies an imperative. This course examines how Japan has approached international affairs, from the 19th century until the present. It covers both the domestic and international dimensions of Japanese policymaking, focusing on how different political forces have shaped the evolution of the country's foreign and security policy practices. Key areas of study include: the historical emergence of Japanese strategic thinking; the establishment of the so-called Yoshida Doctrine and the country's alliance with the US during the Cold War; its relationship with other nations in Asia; and the security reforms enacted at different stages over the post–Cold War period.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand the evolution of Japanese foreign and security policy and strategic thinking since the 19th century;
- Engage with they major scholarly debates on Japan's foreign and security policies since the Second World War;
- Identify and critically analyse key factors, domestic and international, shaping Japan's strategic outlook over this period;
- Apply historical and conceptual knowledge of Japan's foreign and security policies to analyse the country's contemporary policymaking and important strategic relationships;
- Demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills for analysing and debating Japanese foreign and security policy (as developed through written assessments, in-class discussions and tutorial-based activities).
Indicative Assessment
- Course Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Tutorial Task 1 (15) [LO 2,4,5]
- Tutorial Task 2 (15) [LO 1,2,3,5]
- Tutorial Task 3 (10) [LO 2,3,5]
- Essay (50) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
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Workload
35 contact hours per semester
A 2-hour lecture session per week for 12 weeks and a 1-hour tutorial per week for 11 weeks of the semester
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Reading material provided via Wattle
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7940 | 21 Jul 2025 | 28 Jul 2025 | 31 Aug 2025 | 24 Oct 2025 | In Person | N/A |
