Japan, the world's second-largest industrial economy, often finds itself labeled an "economic superpower" -- a fulsome category that differs from the traditional "superpower." In terms of scientific attainments and technological innovation, Japan is envied by most other nations and cultures. As Asia's leading economic-technological giant, it has generated a sense of shared pride in the region and is often taken as a developmental model, although there are also concerns and insecurities.
Japan has been increasing its military expenditures over the last couple of decades, albeit reluctantly, emerging in terms of its defense budget as the world's third-largest military power -- although it remains obligingly committed to a "Peace Constitution" framed by American experts in the late 1940s. Hence, in an age of multilevel concern regarding security in the new millennium, it is natural that Japanese security policy would draw academic attention and provoke thought.
Talukder Maniruzzaman is a professor of political science at Dhaka University, Bangladesh. He has an established reputation as a regional security analyst and spent over a year as a visiting Japan Foundation fellow at the Institute of International Relations at Sophia University.