Japan as a Paradigm for U.S. Homeland Security

摘要

The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States were the impetus for change within the U.S. homeland security establishment. Despite these changes, deficiencies still exist. In addition to these deficiencies, the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) is in full swing and the United States is engaged around the world. These factors provide valid reasons for the United States to research other countries' homeland security paradigms to provide a contrast in methods of combating terrorism. This thesis investigates the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the U.S. reactions in response to these attacks. As a country that has combated terrorism in the past, Japan's experiences with the Japanese Red Army (JRA) and Aum Shinrikyo, indigenous terrorist groups, are elucidated. The U.S. responses to 9/11 are compared to Japan's responses to the JRA, Aum Shinrikyo and 9/11. These comparisons are analyzed and used to describe the Japanese homeland security paradigm. This paradigm is applied to the U.S. strategy to combat terrorism to identify aspects of U.S. strategy that should be improved by implementing the Japanese homeland security paradigm. This thesis was written in the hope that the United States can learn from another country's successes and failures in combating terrorism.