000			01732cam a2200193 4500
100	1		_aSINGH Bhubhindar
245			_aJapan's responses to China's rise: _bsoft balancing in Southeast Asia/ _cBhubhindar Singh
260			_c2022
520			_aJapan's threat perceptions toward China have hardened over the post-Cold War period. This led Tokyo to rely more on overt balancing strategies compared with engagement and hedging strategies. While hard balancing measures are widely discussed in the literature, little or no attention is paid to soft balancing. Though concerned about China's strategic rise, Japan's strategic options are limited by the entrenched normative constraints within the security policymaking structure. These conditions make soft balancing a critical and viable strategy for Japan. The prominence of soft balancing is illustrated by analyzing Japan's response to China's widening influence in Southeast Asia, primarily focusing on two areas - East Asian multilateralism and the South China Sea territorial disputes. Empirically, this paper offers a more nuanced analysis of Japan's response to China's strategic rise; and theoretically, explains the way Japan's case strengthens the conceptual utility of soft balancing through the incorporation of a normative perspective.
650			_aJAPAN
650			_aCHINA
650			_aSOUTHEAST ASIA
650			_aHARDENED BALANCING
650			_aSOFT BALANCING STRATEGY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
773			_aAsian Security: _gVol 18, No. 1, 2022, pp. 1-19 (21A)
598			_aJAPAN, CHINA, SEASIA, ASIAN, SECURITY, POLICY, STRATEGY
856			_uhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14799855.2021.1942849 _zClick here for full text
945			_i69390.1001 _rY _sY
999			_c42455 _d42455