Japan
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Partnerships
Indonesia, Japan enhance maritime security to further Free and Open Indo-Pacific
Agence France-Presse Japan will give Indonesia two high-speed patrol boats as Tokyo seeks to boost regional maritime security cooperation in the face of territorial disputes with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made the pledge during a mid-January 2025 visit to Jakarta for talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. “We agreed on establishing working-level defense…
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Partnerships
Japan-Philippines partnership deepens with police equipment grant
Maria T. Reyes Japan enhanced its strategic partnership with the Philippines in late November 2024 with an equipment grant to the Philippine National Police (PNP) for countering drug and human trafficking in the Indo-Pacific. The grant “cements our shared commitment and deeper understanding about our role as peacekeepers and agents of truth and justice,” according to PNP Forensic Group Director…
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Global Commons
Japan Cabinet OKs record defense budget as nation enhances counterstrike capabilities
The Associated Press The Japanese Cabinet approved a record $55 billion defense budget for 2025 as Japan enhances its counterstrike proficiency with long-range cruise missiles and begins deploying Tomahawk missiles to counter growing threats from North Korea, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia. The budget marks the third year of Japan’s five-year defense buildup under a national security…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Japan sharpens measures against airspace violations following Russian, Chinese military incursions
Felix Kim Japan is well positioned to deter and counter violations of its territorial airspace, officials and analysts said following recent incursions by Russian and Chinese military aircraft. “Japan will continue to develop the capabilities to deploy aircraft and other resources to monitor and push out [Russian aircraft] from Japanese territory,” Stephen Nagy, an international relations professor at Japan’s International…
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Partnerships
Philippines ratifies landmark defense access pact with Japan
Reuters The Philippine Senate ratified a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) with Japan in mid-December 2024 that will allow the nations’ forces to deploy on each other’s territory as both countries contend with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) increasingly assertive actions. The RAA, the first Japan has signed with another Asian nation, will ease the entry of equipment and troops…
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Northeast Asia
Joint bomber exercise, arms buildup contradict Xi’s statements on nuclear weapons
FORUM Staff A joint nuclear-capable bomber drill by Beijing and Moscow near Japan in late November 2024 drew condemnation and called into question Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping’s past pronouncements against nuclear proliferation. The military exercise over the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan also tightened the links between the CCP and Russia, which repeatedly…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Beijing extends its coercive campaign against neighbors
FORUM Staff Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders complain about a rules-based order in which Beijing did not make the rules. By refusing to accept international laws that protect the global economy and the security of his Indo-Pacific neighbors, CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping offers a preview of the authoritarian system he favors. Coercive CCP military activity in and around the…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Japan’s maritime security initiatives support Pacific Island partners
Felix Kim Japan is deepening its maritime security partnerships with Pacific Island nations through targeted initiatives to bolster maritime domain awareness (MDA). The efforts reflect Japan’s strategic vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) while addressing pressing regional challenges such as illegal fishing, environmental threats and geopolitical competition. Japan’s engagement with nations including Fiji, Micronesia and Palau has shifted…
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Global Commons
Japan adding drone aircraft to boost maritime ISR
FORUM Staff Japan’s Defense Ministry will enhance its maritime situational awareness with new uncrewed surveillance aircraft deployed over waters surrounding the nation. The move comes as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) increases its presence in the vast region, including near the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, a rocky outcropping in the East China Sea administered by Japan but claimed by…
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Global Commons
Japan focuses on economic resilience, technology safeguards to bolster national defense
Tom Abke With geopolitical pressures growing, Japan is reshaping its national defense with a focus on economic resilience and technological independence. Through initiatives such as the Economic Security Promotion Act (ESPA), Tokyo aims to shield critical technologies, secure supply chains and protect essential infrastructure from foreign interference. The shift is integral to Japan’s national security strategy, where economic stability is…
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