JIB/JAB - Episode 21: Yasuyuki Yoshida on Japanese Perspectives on the Jus ad Bellum Regime

A conversation with Yasuyuki Yoshida, Professor of International Law at Takaoka University in Toyama Japan, and former Capt.(N) in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, discusses Japan's posture on various aspects of the jus ad bellum regime, and whether or how its position may have changed as a result of the "reinterpretation" of Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan. Article 9 renounces the threat or use of force, and has long been understood to prohibit any collective self-defense or use of force authorized by the UN, but in 2014 the government "reinterpreted" it to relax its constraints. We discuss how the new policy relates to the jus ad bellum. The discussion includes surprising insights on how Japan would view a Chinese incursion on the Senkaku Islands, whether Japan would help defend Taiwan, and whether the US could invoke collective self-defense of Japan for preemptive strikes on North Korea. Fascinating conversation! For the materials discussed, visit our website at: https://jibjabpodcast.com