Tailored engagement: Assessing Japan’s strategic culture and its impact on U.S. – China competition

Abstract

The concept of “Strategic Culture” has enjoyed a resurgence in the last two decades as a method for understanding the behavior and decision making of potential adversaries. Strategic culture assessment methodologies offer a way to examine the policy choices of states, while accounting for ethnocentric biases. While these assessments have been used widely for analyzing adversaries, they are underutilized in assessing allies. The emergence of great power competition between the U.S. and China will increase pressure on the U.S.-Japan alliance. Increasing the understanding of Japan’s strategic culture will provide the United States insight into ways to engage with Japan to make strategies to compete with China more effective.

Notes

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9 Johnson and Berrett, p. 6.

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25 Ibid.

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32 Shin’ichi.

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46 Hofstede Insights.

47 Ibid.

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81 Dudden, p. 99.

82 Matsumura, p. 15.

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85 Glosserman and Snyder, p. 55.

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89 Teufel Dreyer, p. 3.

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93 Packard.

94 Ibid.

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101 Igata, Glosserman.

102 Nobuo, p. 3.

103 Tanaka.

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jennifer Bradley

Jennifer Bradley ([email protected]) is a Senior Deterrence Analyst for United States Strategic Command where she is lead analyst for the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to joining Strategic Command, Ms. Bradley was a Deterrence Analyst at the National Institute for Public Policy. Ms. Bradley is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Defense and Strategic Studies from Missouri State University where she earned her Masters of Science in the same discipline in 2007. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, Philosophy, and Economics from Eastern Oregon University in 2002. The views in this study are her own and do not represent the views of U.S. Strategic Command, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.