아베 정권의 외교안보정책 - 국가안전보장회의, 집단적 자위권 그리고 헌법 개정 문제

Since the second Abe administration was formed in December 2012, the foreign security policy of Japan has demonstrated a grand transformation in terms of its contents and structure. Structurally, Japan established its National Security Council on December 4, 2013, by taking the National Security Council of the United States as the model, and newly launched in January 2014 the National Security Secretariat, which is the working-level supporting organization for the NSC. In terms of content, Japan adopted the National Security Strategy, the comprehensive guideline for the diplomatic affairs and defense policy, on December 17, 2013, for the first time in its history. Moreover, on July 1, 2014, the Japanese government made the Cabinet-level decision to approve the right of collective self-defense by revising the conventional interpretation of its constitution which prohibits any extraterritorial exercise of the right of defense of the Self- Defense Forces. At the 2+2 Meeting between Japan and the United States on April 27, 2015, both states agreed to revise the Guidelines for the U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation, which was established in November 1978 and revised in September 1997. These changes will be the core transition point of the post-war Japanese security policy. It is important for Korea to pay attention that they have the possibility to bring about a structural transformation of international relations in East Asia including the Korean Peninsula.