Tokyo’s Power Projection: The NATO Calculus

Jagannath P. Panda
Introduction:
If 2020 was an inflection point with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the world to readjust its economic overdependence on China, then the year 2022 is colored by the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
This year has been a significant turning point for geopolitical allegiances between state actors and reconfiguration of security mechanisms: The China-Russia “no-limits” friendship forged right before the Ukraine war; transatlantic and European unity; conditional (yet unbitter) support among allies (India vs. the rest of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue); and the emergence of Japan as a credible partner and potential great power are some of the highlights.
Moreover, the ongoing war has also put the launch of Europe’s new Security Compass in perspective, even as it has tested the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s credibility in ensuring European security.
Related Publications
-
Taiwan: Tokyo’s New Ally?
In December 2022, the back-to-back visits by senior Japanese lawmakers, Koichi Hagiuda, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Policy Research Council chairman, and Hiroshige Seko, the upper house secretary general […]
-
Japan’s National Security Strategy: On Road to Upending Post-War Pacifism?
Late in 2022, Japan’s ruling government, led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, endorsed the makings of a pioneering national security policy. It is one that aligns with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe‘s goal to […]
-
Will Yoon’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Tackle the China Threat?
In late-December 2022, South Korea under the relatively new presidency of Yoon Suk-yeol effectively concluded its policy shift from “strategic ambiguity” by releasing the “Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and […]
-
Kishida’s New Era Realism in National Security and India Diplomacy
The Ukraine war and double threat from China and North Korea in Japan’s backyard have pushed Tokyo to update national security plans and step up India ties. On December 16, […]
-
Japan and Europe: Building On a Capital Moment
Introduction: For decades, Japan and Europe defined their “natural” partnership based on universal values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law in deference to ties with other partners. The differences in […]
-
Seoul’s Geopolitical Code on Quad: Imperative or Elective?
Abstract: Under the new government helmed by President Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea (ROK) has displayed a clear tilt toward and a more open embrace of the Indo- Pacific concept. Interestingly, […]