An End to Pacifism?: Japanese Remilitarization and Outlooks for Global Stability

Dr. Kristin Vekasi will present the annual Leeke-Shaw Lecture on International Affairs. Japan’s postwar constitution prohibits the country’s use of force as a way of settling international disputes.

For decades, Japan’s pacifist stance has had broad support from the Japanese public, limiting the options for hawkish politicians like current Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. Recent conflicts in East Asia including Chinese actions in the East and South China Sea and nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula, however, have pushed Japan closer to becoming a “normal” military power than any other time post 1945. This talk will cover the ramifications of possible Japanese remilitarization for Japan, the United States, and global stability.

Dr. Vekasi is a professor of Political Science at the University of Maine. She received her PhD at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has conducted extensive research and fieldwork across Northeast Asia, particularly in China and Japan.

Lunch costs $10, payable at the door. Please register with your lunch request by Thursday, October 26, by calling the Margaret Chase Smith Library at 474-7133. Sandwich options include:  Ham, Roast Beef, Turkey on a Kaiser roll, or a veggie Wrap. Sandwiches include lettuce, tomato, cheese, packets of mustard & mayo. Let the library know if you’d like gluten-free bread. Lunch includes chips, cookie, soda and water.

Please note: registrants who request lunch are responsible for the lunch fees. If your plans change and you are unable to attend, please notify us so that lunch orders can be adjusted.

This program is part of the collaboration between the Mid-Maine Global Forum and the Margaret Chase Smith Library. For more information, visit the program page on the Global Forum’s website, midmaineglobalforum.org/.

Location: Margaret Chase Smith Library, 56 Norridgewock Avenue, Skowhegan, 474-7133, www.mcslibrary.org