The Yoshida Doctrine was a policy Japan implemented after World

War II under Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, the nation's first post-war prime
minister, concentrating on restoring Japan's local market, while the military
alliance with the U.S. will be the guarantor of Japanese stability. The Yoshida
Doctrine shaped Japanese foreign policy throughout the Cold War era and
beyond.

Historic Background Even after its surrender in World War II, the
Japanese government continued to function. It held its first post-war election in
the spring of 1946. This election was also the first time women were allowed to
vote in Japan. Yoshida Shigeru emerged as the winner of the election, becoming
Prime Minister. Around the same time, discontent grew over the previous Meiji
Constitution, and a desire for an entirely new constitution grew. A small team
from a section of SCAP helped draft a new constitution. After some revisions,
the Japanese Diet approved this new Constitution in November 1946, it took
effect in May 1947, and it continues on today. One important aspect of the
Constitution was Article 9 which stated that "the Japanese people forever
renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation" and that military forces "will
never be maintained". When Yoshida Shigeru made his policies Article 9
played a large role.

The doctrine can perhaps best be described by its three core

principles: i) Entrust most of Japan’s security to the United States; and ii)
Minimize Japan’s own defense efforts; and at the same time iii) Dedicate its
resources to economic development. The Yoshida Doctrine is so-called because
these principles, which reflected decisions made by then Prime Minister
Shigeru Yoshida around the time Japan regained its independence in the early
1950s, formed the framework for subsequent Japanese foreign policy.Both
Yoshida’s principles and subsequent Japanese foreign policy were largely
formed in the context of the Cold War.

Core Elements Reliance on the United States The Yoshida doctrine

and Japan's foreign policy of the time, emphasized mutual relations with the
United States. Japan relied on the United States’ military for security, because
of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, being denied the right to war-making
potential. Repeated attempts by the United States, in following years, to get
Japan to increase its military expenditure were rejected by Prime Minister
Yoshida on the basis of Japan's pacifist post-war constitution. Military was not
the only thing Japan relied on the United States for. During the Cold War,
Japan's largest trading partner was the United States. Exports to the United
States at the time played a large role in Japan's economic development.

Economic Emphasis Prime Minister Yoshida's aim was to focus all

available means on an economic recovery. Given the lack of military power,
Japanese foreign policy naturally placed emphasis on economic policy. Yoshida
envisioned a speedy economic recovery through which Japan would be able to
once again become a major world power . His policy was thus not rooted in
pacifism but was in line with the realist foreign policy that's been a dominating
force in Japan's approach to international relations since the Meiji Restoration.
Under Yoshida's leadership, Japan began to rebuild its lost industrial
infrastructure and placed a premium on unrestrained economic growth. Many of
these concepts still impact Japan's political and economic policies.