The Myth of Japanese Pacifism: Public Support for Japan's High-Risk Military Operation during Afghanistan Evacuation

34 Pages Posted: 31 Aug 2022 Last revised: 19 Nov 2024

See all articles by Yusaku Horiuchi

Yusaku Horiuchi

Dartmouth College - Department of Government

Atsushi Tago

Waseda University - School of Political Science and Economics

Date Written: November 18, 2024

Abstract

Although the need for U.S.-Japan cooperation during potential East Asian crises is ever-increasing, our understanding of Japanese public opinion on security policies and military actions remains severely limited. We leveraged a rare opportunity when Japan deployed its de facto military, the Self-Defense Forces (SDFs), for a high-risk mission: the August 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan. Based on a "real-time" survey experiment, we show that the public did not adhere to the principle of civilian control. Moreover, about 30% of Japanese citizens supported the high-risk military operation, even with potential SDF casualties, regardless of the outcomes of the operation. These results challenge the widespread perception of Japanese citizens as inherently anti-military and pacifist, suggesting more nuanced views on their attitudes toward military engagement and security policies.

Keywords: alliance, civilian control, casualty sensitivity, Japan, Afghanistan

JEL Classification: D74, F51, F52, H56

Suggested Citation

Horiuchi, Yusaku and Tago, Atsushi, The Myth of Japanese Pacifism: Public Support for Japan's High-Risk Military Operation during Afghanistan Evacuation (November 18, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4186385 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4186385

Yusaku Horiuchi (Contact Author)

Dartmouth College - Department of Government ( email )

204 Silsby Hall
HB 6108
Hanover, NH 03755
United States

HOME PAGE: http://horiuchi.org

Atsushi Tago

Waseda University - School of Political Science and Economics ( email )

1-6-1 Nishiwaseda
Shinkuku
Tokyo
Japan

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
123
Abstract Views
848
Rank
495,655
PlumX Metrics