(FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC) Today, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) is a world military power. Yet, the Japanese Constitution does not recognize the nation’s right to possess any type of war potential, and therefore the status of the SDF is still controversial. In this lecture, Professor Sasaki will focus on the formative period of the SDF, that is, the 1950s and 1960s, and discuss how the SDF sought to enlist popular support. Addressing issues concerning the SDF’s recruitment and its use of service members’ labor, he will speak about the SDF’s roles within the Japanese economy.

About the Speaker:
Tomoyuki Sasaki is an assistant professor of history at Eastern Michigan University, where he teaches courses on Japan and East Asia. His research interests lie in civil-military relations and peace movements. He is currently completing a book manuscript that deals with the Self-Defense Forces’ socio-economic ties with civil society in postwar Japan.