Japan's coast guard takes on role as 'second navy'

Subject

Japan's coast guard.

Significance

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is expanding the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), the armed force that protects Japan’s maritime security. The JCG is on the front line in confronting China in the two countries’ territorial dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. It also cooperates with counterparts in South-east Asian states worried by China’s maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Impacts

• Armed JCG vessels can operate in places and roles in which use of the navy would be controversial or provocative.
• The JCG’s ostensibly civilian function will constrain how far its firepower can be strengthened.
• Other countries that have maritime disputes with China will find a willing partner in the JCG.