This thesis analyses how previously demilitarized states are pressured to remilitarize and tries to find a middle ground in the fragmented debate on this issue. The case study used to study this...Show moreThis thesis analyses how previously demilitarized states are pressured to remilitarize and tries to find a middle ground in the fragmented debate on this issue. The case study used to study this topic is Japan from the end of the Second World War until the present day. The two primary pressures through which the research is conducted are economic competition with the protector and the rise of new perceived threats. By reviewing both government sources and secondary literature it is apparent that external forces linked to economic competition and rising threats are consistently motivating remilitarization efforts. However, remilitarization is not one-dimensional. This paper observed both increased multilateral efforts and domestic military upgrading. These different facets interact with each other and provide a mixed-mode of remilitarization that does not neatly fit the existing polarized narratives.Show less
