The topic this time is "The Hidden Dilemma of Economic Security".
I would like tentatively to share the contents of the article of Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper posted on February 18.
Economic security is becoming the centerpiece of the Fumio Kishida administration's policy agenda.
Countries around the world are studying ways to counter China's increasingly authoritarian stance, and it is not necessarily a bad thing that Japan is moving in this direction.
However, it is important to recognize that economic security, as a means of maintaining national security, cannot escape the dilemma it entails.
Economic security is not a concept that has only recently emerged.
The Masayoshi Ohira cabinet, which was established in 1978, proposed the concept of "comprehensive security" that included non-military aspects at a study group.
Reflecting the international situation at the time, including the oil crisis, it proposed resource security and was a pioneer in policy proposals in this field.
Economic security, which is now being discussed as a countermeasure against China, has a different and new character.
Through state intervention in markets and companies, it diversifies the supply chain for semiconductors and other products, protects key industries from foreign investors and information leaks, and supports the enhancement of international competitiveness, covering a wide range of free international trade, investment, and technology transfer.
It could be described as a restructuring of the national economy through state intervention.
This kind of economic security always involves a dilemma.
The pursuit of national security conflicts with the value of free economic activity.
Some may argue that policies should be pursued while taking into account the interests of the nation.
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