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 DSEi JAPAN SHOW PREVIEW

The strategy does not aim to revitalise militaristic intentions or shift Countries which share Japan’s concern about
away from the Japanese constitution. However, it heralds a new Chinese behaviour in the region, such as the
era for Japan’s defence policy, in which Tokyo will expand its com- US, Taiwan, Australia, the UK, India, and France,
mitment and capabilities beyond its preference for economic policy welcomed Japan’s new strategy and expressed
and beef up on diplomacy and defence. This is a bold response to hope for deeper engagement in the security field
the country’s deteriorating security environment and the threats in with Tokyo. During Kishida’s tour of the G7 coun-
northeast Asia, particularly from China. North Korea has also grown tries in early January, he signed a defence pact
more threatening, as it has increased the pace of missile testing with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that allows
near Japan and across the Japanese economic exclusive zone forces from both countries to be deployed to
and territory. Meanwhile, joint exercises by the Chinese and Russian the other for training and joint exercises. Kishida
militaries near Japan have become more frequent. The increasing also had first discussions with his French and
presence of foreign militaries around Japan, accompanied by the Italian counterparts on deeper security coop-
fast development of new military technologies and capabilities, eration. Moreover, the US and Japan agreed
have highlighted Japan’s vulnerabilities and shown the need for to expand and modernise their alliance and
modernisation if Japan hopes to be able to defend itself in the event establish a permanent joint headquarters
of a conflict and not fall behind other militaries. during their bilateral talks earlier this month.
However, some ASEAN states and South Korea
The new strategy represents a determined step towards developing have voiced scepticism about Tokyo’s suppos-
a defence-oriented posture in order to actively protect the core edly defensive intentions behind expanding its
principles of a free and open rules-based international order, to military, concerned that Japan might become
fight any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, and too strong militarily, which rekindles memories
to concretely implement steps towards more active engagement from the second world war. Kishida will need
independently and with allies. Yet the NSS has a daunting long-term amenable diplomacy to prove his intentions to
agenda that will require stable and strong domestic support and critics and could use the opportunities given
convincing leadership by Kishida, especially regarding financing the through the new NSS to widen cooperation with
defence budget and the implementation process. In order to acquire ASEAN countries and South Korea as well, dis-
the planned capabilities, Japan will also need the assistance and pelling scepticism.
guidance of its primary security ally – the US – and other existing
allies such as Australia and the UK, as well as new security partners. Tokyo’s revised security strategy shows existing
and future security allies that they can have
confidence in Japan as an ally and strategic
The EU and the Indo-Pacific are deeply interconnected through partner in the Indo-Pacific and that a new level
investments and trade. Geopolitical tensions in the region auto- of security cooperation is possible. European
matically affect trade and supply chains as well as technological, countries and the EU should take the oppor-
political, and security areas. The EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy, released tunities for cooperation that the NSS offers to
in 2022, acknowledges this connectivity and recognises that the deepen their security relationship with Japan
EU would be directly affected if a conflict erupted in the region. and support the Japanese government in
The EU and European states should therefore take Tokyo’s current achieving the long-term agenda of the NSS.
landmark efforts as an opportunity to intensify and adjust their
security relationship with a key ally in the Indo-Pacific. The NSS’s (Dr. Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp is a Visiting
multi-layered capability development provides many options and Fellow of the Asia Programme at the European
areas for cooperation with like-minded countries, both through Council on Foreign Relations. The article
existing formats such as the US-Japan-South Korea or US-Japan- was originally published by The European
Australia trilateral formations, or through future security partnerships Council on Foreign Relations. https://ecfr.eu/
with European countries or the EU, as well as with South Korea, India, article/setting-the-course-japans-new-secu-
ASEAN, and NATO. rity-strategy/ )
32 | MARCH 2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/ADT