During the entire post-World War II period Japan isolated itself from the ongoing power struggle. Even during the height of the Cold War when its two neighbours – the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China – went nuclear, Japan followed the three principles of ‘not possessing’, ‘not introducing’ and ‘not manufacturing’ nuclear weapons. Successive Japanese parliaments also passed resolutions putting a one per cent GDP cap on defence spending and imposed a blanket ban on arms exports and arms-related technologies.
DPJ’s Duplicity on Futenma Base Relocation in 2009
Wikileaks cables reveal a secret pact in which the Hatoyama administration agreed to honour the 2006 agreement on the relocation of Futenma if the US were to reject the proposed alternative.