U.S., Europe and France perspectives on the National Security Strategy of Japon

 

Webconference organised around the topic : U.S., Europe and France perspectives on the New National Security Strategy of Japan. Guest Speakers : Naoko Aoki, Associate political Scientist, Rand Corporation (Arlington),Michito Tsuruoka, Associate Professor, Keio University (Tokyo), Visiting Fellow, Australian National University (Canberra) and Marianne Peron-Doise, Associate Research-fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Geopolitical Observatory, IRIS (Paris). Session chairman: Barthelemy Courmont, Associate Professor, Catholic University Lille and Research Director, IRIS (Paris).

On December 2022, Japan released three new strategic documents: the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy (NDS), and the Defense Buildup program. These documents were globally perceived as a historic turning point in the archipelago’s defense policy. Yet this is not the first time that Japan has adapted its national security to a changing regional and international environment. The most talked-about elements were an increase in the defence budget from 1 to 2% of GDP, the acquisition of « counter-attack » capabilities and greater operational integration with the US armed forces. The United States has declared itself ready to supply Tokyo with tomahawk missiles, which until now have only been transferred to the United Kingdom, and has welcomed this geostrategic turn by Japan.

While Tokyo now describes China as the « most serious challenge » it faces, this military and doctrinal alignment with the US Indo-Pacific posture is not without risk. Beyond China, North Korea and Russia constitute a dangerous neighbourhood for the archipelago, which fears being directly involved if a conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Strait. This webconference will look at the Japanese political debate that has accompanied this development, the nature of the geopolitical issues that Tokyo is now facing and also how France and Europe, which have strong Indo-Pacific interests, are positioning themselves in the face of the strengthening of strategic relations between Japan and the United States.