Japan’s economic security strategy: Securitization of China’s rising economic power?

Abstract

The concept of economic security has received special attention from the Japanese government since 2019: several specialized state agencies have been created, and in May 2022 the Diet approved the Act on Provision of Economic Security. Economic security-related notions have also been included in the new National Security Strategy, published in December 2022. In this document, economic security is defined as protection of ‘Japan’s national interests, such as peace, security, and economic prosperity, by carrying out economic measures.’ It shall be noted that the current understanding of economic security is different from the one previously assumed, which was largely concerned with the provision of natural resources and food. We observe the concrete measures proposed in connection with the concept of economic security and highlight that the new understanding of the concept has been introduced in relation to the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, in which Japan supports the U.S. in its efforts against the certain advanced-tech companies from China. From the point of view of the securitization theory, claims that certain industries of the PRC’s economy present a threat to Japan’s security could be seen as ‘speech-acts’ aiming to legitimize the employment of extraordinary political measures. We emphasize that the apparent success of such speech-acts is grounded in the Japanese experts’ assessment that there are emergent technologies with the possibility of dual commercial and military use. In conclusion, we examine the securitization of China’s economy by the Japanese government in its current regional and global context and argue that it could be interpreted both as a signal to the U.S. and as an attempt to gain leverage in the competition between the Japanese and the Chinese infrastructural projects in the Asia-Pacific.