Hard and soft law in Japan's economy diplomacy: rebuilding relations with LAC in the twenty-first century

Kanako Yamaoka and Gabriel Garcia

Chapter 4 in Japan, Latin America and the Caribbean, 2026, pp 58-81 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 4 examines how Japan's soft-balancing strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) aims to bolster its economic relations with the region in the twenty-first century. These ties have been notably shaped by the competitive dynamics between the United States and China. The argument put forth is that Japan has formulated its economic foreign policy for the region by relying primarily on hard-law mechanisms, encompassing economic partnership agreements, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and formal regional institutions. This approach aligns with Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision (FOIP), which promotes the rule of law, free trade, and strengthened economic partnerships. Japan resorts to soft law only when a hard-law position is impractical. The analysis starts by reviewing the intertwined links between foreign policy, diplomacy, and international economic law and ends by discussing LAC's response to Japan's economic diplomacy.

Keywords: Soft Law; Hard Law; Soft Balancing; Hedging; Inter-American Development Bank; CPTPP; Economic Partnership Agreements; MERCOSUR; Free and Open Indo-Pacific (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035388257
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