Many analysts of Japanese security policy sense that Japan is on the cusp of a fundamental breakaway from its long-standing Yoshida Doctrine, and they have engaged in a spirited debate about the sources of Japan's security threat, policies needed to meet these threats, and the extent of the policy changes that would occur in Japan. However, very little analysis has been done to date on explaining Japanese foreign policy changes in recent years. This paper advances an ideationalist explanation

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... r the recent changes in Japanese foreign policy orientation. It argues that a domestically generated change in self-role conception to act as a "global player" underlies the recent foreign policy changes. The Yoshida Doctrine that has formed the basis of the post-war Japanese foreign policy orientation is moribund now, and Japan wants to increase its political influence that matches its economic might. As a result, Japanese foreign policy has become more active and assertive since the 1990s, and a diverse set of policies ranging from the peacekeeping operations (PKOs) in Iraq, the UN reform proposals, history issues, and intensifying territorial disputes with China and Korea reflect this change in Japanese foreign policy orientation. This paper supports the argument with the cognitive maps of National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPGs) published by the then Japan Defense Agency and the original survey of Japanese politicians in the Diet conducted in 2006. Both the cognitive maps and the survey support reveal that there is a greater emphasis on internationalism, which is closely connected with the new role conception of global player. The survey also suggests that a sense of insecurity resulting from two security threats to Japanthe rise of China and the North Korean nuclear issue-may be at the root of the emergence of the new role conception. We are already witnessing the emergence of more conflictual international relations in Northeast Asia due to Japan's desire to play a greater role in the region and beyond, and this trend is likely to continue in the near future.