Japan


China  / East Asia  / Japan
Japan’s Diplomatic Bluebook Paints China as Central Villain
Posted On May 2, 2024
The more things change the more they stay the same. In the 2024 Diplomatic Bluebook, recently released through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan assertively labeled China a global threat, while still carefully trying to balance both positive and negative terms. The new edition employs much stronger language about its regional rival, characterizing Beijing’s activity in the South China Sea as “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.” The not-so-subtle change in the language in the new edition is predicated on the central theme of Beijing’s progressively coercive efforts.
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Cambodia  / China  / Japan  / Southeast Asia
Japan’s Indo-Pacific Security Waiting Game in Cambodia
February 26, 2024

Amid China’s heavy investments in Cambodia, made evident by the vast sums of public and private cash flooding both the capital city of Phnom Penh and port cities like Sihanoukville, two Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) destroyers, the Suzunami and Shimakaze, each with a crew complement of about 200 sailors, made a stop at the Sihanoukville port. Currently, major upgrades to the nearby Ream Naval Base are underway, again with significant support from China.


East Asia  / Japan  / South Korea
Tokyo Must Finally Bury the Hatchet with South Korea
January 2, 2024

The late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to improve ties over security concerns about North Korean provocation, but like his counterpart, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon in the end, failed. In 2008, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak also wanted to improve ties with Tokyo and then-Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, but that too, predictably failed.


China  / East Asia  / Japan
Who Wants to Talk? Communication Difficulties Constrain Japan-China Relations
August 30, 2023

In what has become a common occurrence in both the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, Russian Il-38 information-gathering aircraft were found flying too close to Japan for Tokyo’s comfort, who scrambled fighter jets last week to intercept them. This came just hours after both Russian and Chinese vessels were crossing waters close to the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako. Incidents like these are common, particularly after notable events. For example, in May, when Japan hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the summit of G-7 in Hiroshima, the same Russian Il-38 maritime aircraft was spotted along the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Japan.


China  / Italy  / Japan
Growing Japan-Italy Ties Emphasize Tokyo’s Pressing Need for Assistance
August 14, 2023

In May, Italy’s Chief of Defense Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone gave a speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. in which he warned of the inevitable rise of militaries in Asia and their newfound ability to project force beyond their normal spheres of influence. China, Dragone noted, was now capable of flying from its East Asian home to the Balkans to hand-deliver surface-to-air missiles. While not mentioning Japan by name, Dragone warned that defense sectors in many countries were struggling to adapt to rapidly changing security conditions. Last week, several Italian Air Force aircraft arrived in Japan for exercises with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), which are designed to improve joint tactical skills.


East Asia  / Japan  / United States
Okinawa and the Osprey: A Human Rights Perspective 
October 10, 2022

This October marks the 10th anniversary of the arrival in Okinawa of the MV-22B Osprey, a unique yet troubled tiltrotor aircraft. Based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the island of Okinawa, the aircraft, which boasts vertical and short takeoff and landing capabilities, was supposed to revolutionize humanitarian assistance, disaster relief capacities, and troop transportation in the region. Normally viewed as part of the larger context of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty and the increased Chinese aggression in the East China Sea, the deployment of the Osprey also factors heavily in the broader Okinawan human rights landscape. Two issues are driving local concerns over the Osprey, which were captured by Okinawan civil society submissions to Japan’s 2017 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council.


East Asia  / Japan
Abe Shinzo Excelled at Foreign Policy, But He Failed Women Badly
August 4, 2022

A lone gunman claimed the life of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on July 8, shocking a largely violence-free nation. Tributes poured in from all over the world and commentators in many countries praised Abe’s enormous contributions to foreign policy, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, where Japan under his leadership has emerged as a critical regional power. In remembering Abe, however, little has been said about his domestic legacy. On the surface, Abenomics brought about an era of quantitative easing and relatively low unemployment. Abe promised to boost productivity and bring solutions to Japan’s aging society. And while exports grew and Japan had long stretches of positive economic growth, an essential segment of Japan’s population was left largely behind: women.


Cambodia  / Japan  / Myanmar  / Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Abe’s diplomacy in Southeast Asia leaves a lasting legacy
July 22, 2022

In eulogies and memorial commentaries that followed the death of former Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated by a homemade shotgun in the city of Nara in July, scholars and statesmen have stressed the importance of his Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision. Some have even credited him with inventing the Indo-Pacific region as a whole. Yet few have properly addressed Abe’s legacy in Southeast Asia. Abe, like many prime ministers before him, had always shown a keen interest in the region. Japan understood the significance of Southeast Asia to Japan’s post-war economic growth, as well as the political ties that would be essential to the maintenance of Japanese security.


China  / East Asia  / Indo-Pacific  / Japan  / Taiwan  / United States
How Engaged Was China at the Shangri-La Dialogue?
June 16, 2022

It was in 2007 that the Shangri-La Dialogue came into its own, with China and the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific at the center of its discussion. While China didn’t send ministerial-level officials, Vice Minister and Lt. Gen. Zhang Qinsheng’s presence at the 2007 Dialogue suggested that Beijing viewed the forum as an opportunity to advance its public diplomacy and demonstrate China’s ability to be more transparent and inclusive about its operations in the South China Sea and beyond. Zhang’s speech, in which he declared that China’s “peaceful development is not a makeshift, but a serious choice and pledge of the Chinese government and people,” hinted at the same.


China  / Japan  / Southeast Asia  / Thailand
The hard side of Thailand’s supposed soft power success
May 20, 2022

Thailand’s soft power potential has hit recent headlines. After Thai rapper Danupha Khanatheerakul, also known as “Milli,” ate a portion of mango sticky rice while performing at California’s Coachella festival in April, the popularity of the traditional Thai dessert soared. Thailand has cultivated a useful mass of soft power–the ability to exert influence through attraction or persuasion instead of coercion–through its local traditions, culture and reputation for hospitality. Thailand has cultivated a useful mass of soft power – the ability to exert influence through attraction or persuasion instead of coercion –  through its local traditions, culture and reputation for hospitality. However, according to the 2022 Global Soft Power Index, measured by seven supporting pillars including trade, governance, international relations, culture, media, communications, education, and values, the Kingdom dropped to 35th of out 120 countries surveyed, a fall of two places from 2021.