Surrounded by dictatorships possessing nuclear weapons, Japan contends with inward-looking legislators and a finance ministry that restrains defense spending.
Given that the Japanese economy is still mired with deflation, Japan should issue defense bonds as a balance between economic growth and national defense.
Xi's has reformed the PLA to follow his larger strategic vision, placing greater emphasis on military diplomacy and seeking armed dominance in the region.
On a per capita basis, South Korea is spending more than twice as much on defense, and its weapons development budget is believed to be triple...
This is the first time in history that the US has embraced a Japanese strategy as its own. India, Australia, and even Europe have endorsed it.
Looking to the US, strategists have largely overlooked the foresight and foundational role that Japan has played, starting with Shinzo Abe.
With a clear mandate, the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito must act on reforming Japan’s postwar Constitution and address urgent issues affecting the people.
Abe had a strategic vision for Japan, recognizing that it could no longer sit quietly, writing the occasional check, while events unfolded around it.
Ukraine “has brought together the threats from Russia and China and changed the world,” says French journalist and China expert Pierre-Antoine Donnet.
Japan’s security environment is harsher than NATO’s and the menace is not limited to Russia. Spending more than 2% of GDP is critical for national security.
The survey shows 6 in 10 favor an increase in defense spending, record high approval of the Kishida government, and Japanese softening on wearing masks.
Does Japan have the will to transform into a normal country, like Germany has done almost instantaneously in the wake of the Ukraine crisis?