Abe's Proactive Engagement in Southeast Asia: The Pattern of Security Capacity Building and Cooperation

Abstract

This thesis examines why Abe is readdressing Southeast Asia more proactively than his predecessors and how Abe has attempted to engage different countries in the region to achieve Japans strategic goals. This thesis suggests that Japans proactive engagement in Southeast Asia is motivated by a sense of urgency due to Chinas assertive behaviors and accelerated by the United States Rebalance to Asia. In order to find the pattern of security capacity building and cooperation between Japan and Southeast Asian countries, the ten ASEAN countries were categorized into three different groups. The first group consists of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The second group consists of Brunei, Malaysia, and Thailand, while the last group consists of Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. After analyzing the empirical evidence that shows Japans engagement with these countries, this thesis suggests that Japans proactive engagement in all ASEAN countries involves an increase in security-oriented ODA and bilateral defense cooperation. However, one can see that Japan certainly has different major goals and strategies in engaging each different group. Therefore, Japans proactive engagement toward each group differs in terms of the amount of assistance and the type of cooperation.