The risk of conflict over Taiwan is shaping Japan’s defense planning, as Tokyo works to bolster security at home and abroad in anticipation of a potentially protracted fight. But there are economic, demographic and political limits to the extent to which its military transformation can go. In the first of a three-part series, Gabriel Dominguez examines how Japan is building a network of partnerships to bolster its strategic resilience.
These efforts came to light in Australia last month, as Tokyo and Canberra moved to deepen cooperation, from defense planning and advanced weapons development to the construction and sustainment of Japanese-designed warships.
But the deepening relationship with Australia is only part of a broader transformation.
As Taiwan increasingly formulates its own defense plans, Japan is linking regional military ties with defense industrial and technology partnerships across North America and Europe.
The United States is Japan’s only ally and security cornerstone, and Tokyo is looking to other countries to complement this relationship: from operational and logistical cooperation with Australia and the Philippines to weapons production, intelligence, and safer supply chains further afield.
