After ISIS, Will Japan Consider a Foreign Policy Change?

Japan has been fervently trying to negotiate with the Islamic State, or ISIS, after the terrorist organization threatened to kill him, prompting speculation that Tokyo could change its foreign policy stance.

This still image taken from a video posted on YouTube by jihadists on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, purports to show a still photo of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto holding what appears to be a photo of Jordanian pilot 1st Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh. Both are being held hostage by the Islamic State militant group. The still image was overdubbed with audio which condemns Jordan for not releasing Sajida al-Rishawi, saying that unless she is freed within 24 hours both will be killed. AP Photo

Japan has been fervently trying to negotiate with the Islamic State, or ISIS, after the terrorist organization threatened to kill him, prompting speculation that Tokyo could change its foreign policy stance.

The Japanese Constitution, drafted in the wake of World War II, outlaws the country from going to war. Japan actually has the eighth-largest military in the world, but it’s used for defense and is called the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

Allan Bird, who serves as a professor in Global Business at the D'Amore McKim School of Business at Boston’s Northeastern University, says it’s highly unlikely Japan will use the ISIS hostage situation to take steps towards fighting conflicts overseas.

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