
Why ASEAN Appreciates Japan’s Nuanced Approach to Regional Order
Joanne Lin|William Choong
Japan’s foreign policy stance strikes the right tone in a region on alert for potential big power rivalry to worsen.
Joanne Lin|William Choong
Japan’s foreign policy stance strikes the right tone in a region on alert for potential big power rivalry to worsen.
Yoichiro Sato
Japan is increasingly moving towards a more muscular defensive posture focused on ground attack capabilities. While these capabilities are aimed at deterring attacks on the Japanese home islands, they also have implications for Southeast Asia.
Yoichiro Sato
With some experience in managing Chinese assertiveness in the East China Sea, Japan is helping Southeast Asian countries manage Beijing’s actions in disputed maritime areas.
Yoichiro Sato
Japan is considering the deployment of non-nuclear counter-strike capabilities in the face of growing threats from North Korea and China. This might have a bearing on Southeast Asia.
Yurika Ishii
Japan has made solid contributions to the global rules-based order. Notwithstanding Japan’s efforts for international cooperation, challenges remain in implementing UNCLOS.
David Arase
Shinzo Abe learned that Japan’s security did not lie in its military, but Japan’s good citizenship in a free-trading rules-based order. Southeast Asia was central to his pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Lim Tai Wei|William Choong
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visits to Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand have burnished Japan’s regional credentials, particularly on contentious issues such as the war in Ukraine, the South China Sea disputes and the evolving order in the Indo-Pacific.
The State of Southeast Asia Survey
Lim Tai Wei
Japan has suffered some dips in ranking in the 2022 State of Southeast Asia Survey. That said, Japan’s residual soft power in the region remains undisputed.
Lim Tai Wei
Fumio Kishida’s economic policies seek to integrate and refine aspects of Abenomics laid down by Shinzo Abe. These policies should help project Japan’s image as a benign power and reinvigorate its investments in Southeast Asia.
John D. Ciorciari
New Japanese premier Fumio Kishida’s likely continuation of quiet economic, diplomatic and security investment in the region aligns well with Southeast Asian preferences.