THE JAPANESE RED ARMY (JRA) IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 1972-1990: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TERROR GROUP’S STRATEGY AND PRESENCE IN THE REGION

Abstract

The Japanese Red Army (JRA) was arguably one of Asia’s most transnational leftist terrorist group, conducting a number of significant attacks and activities in Southeast Asia in the 1970s and the 1980s. This thesis will seek to analyse the group’s Southeast Asian operations from 1972 to 1990, arguing that while they did have significant ambitions for the region from 1972 to 1977, they were ultimately unable to realise these ambitions because of their failure to raise significant resources. From 1977 to 1990, the JRA executed a more sophisticated and clandestine operational strategy in the region as they pivoted back to Japan. Southeast Asia was geographically closer and allowed the JRA to operate closer to home. The group built a covert network of JRA cells across the region, finally utilising this network for the 1986 Jakarta attacks.