Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent decision to partially allow Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense is surely an important one for the future of Japan. However, some of the commentaries voiced so far on the decision — both at home and abroad — do not necessarily reflect its true significance when seen from the perspective of diplomatic history.
The post-Cold War world has turned significantly unstable as the result of the failed response to the terrorist attacks carried out against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. The U.S. has fought so many futile wars since then, making Americans very war-weary.
Added to that is another uncertainty — the rapid military rise of China and its increasing assertiveness in its external relations with regional neighbors. The world has yet to think through how to respond to this in the long run, while the attraction of China's huge economic potential remains strong.