Defense Posture
Military Capabilities and Constitutional Limits
Deprived of any military capability after 1945, Japan had only occupation forces and a few domestic police on which to rely for security. Rising Cold War tensions in Europe and Asia, coupled with leftist-inspired strikes and demonstrations in Japan, prompted some conservative leaders to question the unilateral renunciation of all military capability. These sentiments were intensified in 1950, when most occupation troops were transferred to the Korean War (1950 to 1953) theater, leaving Japan virtually helpless to counter internal disruption and subversion, and very much aware of the need to enter into a mutual defense relationship with the United States…
