To “achieve the most effective coordination” on co-developing next-generation fighters, Japan, Britain, and Italy have agreed to establish a new international body to expedite and oversee the process, based on a treaty signed by their respective defense ministers on December 14, 2023. The trilateral scheme aims to enhance the “national security” and “international influence” of … Read more
As Hamada Yasukazu, former minister of defense of Japan, explained in the document “Defense of Japan 2022,” the world is at a moment of historic change: “The international community is facing its greatest challenge since the Second World War.” For Japan, the regional context could not be more complicated: Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory marked … Read more
In recent years, Japan has faced increased threats from various directions: from Russia to the north, and from North Korea and China to the west. No wonder, as John Mearsheimer once put it, Japan’s defense posture needs to be more like Godzilla and less like Bambi. This quandary is not new. In fact, for decades, … Read more
Advertisement Japan no longer needs U.S. pressure to undertake a radical expansion in its defense capabilities and security commitments. Rising threat levels in Japan’s regional environment, particularly from China, have become the most important factor driving change in these areas of government policy, as well as changing public attitudes toward dramatically increasing defense capabilities and … Read more
Advertisement “Japan’s Contributions to the Sustainable Development of a Free and Open World” may not read like a particularly catchy subtitle for the long-awaited 2023 Development Cooperation Charter, announced last year, but it accurately conveys the core message of the new document right from the beginning. Japanese policymakers believe that development assistance cannot be sustainable … Read more
Advertisement In December 2022, Japan announced a new National Security Strategy, including a significant increase of the defense budget and the acquisition of offensive weaponry. While the decision has been praised among the hawks of U.S. and transatlantic foreign policymaking, it is stirring up old ghosts of Japanese militarism in East Asia. At the same … Read more
Advertisement In December 2022, Japan announced a new National Security Strategy, including a significant increase of the defense budget and the acquisition of offensive weaponry. While the decision has been praised among the hawks of U.S. and transatlantic foreign policymaking, it is stirring up old ghosts of Japanese militarism in East Asia. At the same … Read more
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (third from left) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio (second from right) on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, May 21, 2023. Credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan Advertisement No recent G-7 summit was filled with as much excitement as the latest gathering in Hiroshima. As G-7 … Read more
Advertisement “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow.” This chilling statement – uttered by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio at the Shangri-la Security Dialogue summit in Singapore last year – perfectly encapsulates the growing sense of urgency over the security situation in Japan. Policymakers in Tokyo, far from standing still, have made proactive efforts to … Read more