Abstract
The purpose of this article is to explore the perspective that the Abe Cabinet’s replacement of the 1967 Three Principles of Arms Exports (TPAE) in 2014 will stimulate a change in bringing about the Japan Inc.’s revitalization in the defense sector, at the expense of Japan’s postwar pacifist regime. Based on a rationalist firm-centric analysis on Japan’s defense industry, this article finds that the firms are rational actors for profit maximization, remaining resilient for such a change, calculating the pros and cons of the new TPAE regime. To establish the argument, the article examines the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), ShinMaywa, and IHI, in the years of 2010–14. This article also covers the recent F-35, Soryu-class submarines, and US-2 amphibian aircrafts deals, which many point out as the main sources for Japan Inc.’s reinvigoration in the arms building.
Read the article online here.