In October, a delegation of researchers from The Heritage Foundation had the opportunity to travel to Japan for a week. It is clear from their time there that Japan has a keen interest in increasing its energy diversity and making sure that experts are knowledgeable about the security changes and challenges in the region.
Through the Japan International Cooperation Center, the researchers participated in the Kakehashi Project: The Bridge for Tomorrow, during which they met with officials and scholars.
During a series of sessions hosted at Waseda University in Tokyo, scholars and ministry officials presented opposing views of Japan’s new security legislation. The government of Japan recently adopted legislation allowing for Japan to become more proactive in regional and international security and to ascend to its right to collective self-defense. Some individuals in Japan are concerned that the change in legislation will embroil Japan in international conflicts—a viewpoint echoed by numerous signs posted on Waseda’s grounds.
A visit to Japan’s Ministry of Defense highlighted the real security concerns Japan has in the Asia region: noting the increase in forces, military spending, and strategic posturing by China, Russia, and North Korea, respectively. For example, security in the South China Sea—which is a passageway for two-thirds of oil and natural gas imports to Japan—was of particular interest, as Japan has relied more on energy imports following 2011.
In 2014, Japan’s Air Self-Defense Forces were scrambled over 900 times in response to Chinese and Russian aircraft in the East China Sea and northern territories.
U.S. officials have welcomed the long awaited security changes, citing them as reasons for the increase in bilateral relations. As noted in the 2016 Index of U.S. Military Strength, while Asia remains a “favorable” operating environment, U.S. military power is showing signs of strain as equipment continues to age. China and Russia remain a risk to U.S. interests, while the threat from North Korea is now severe—as the regime continues its nuclear weapons program—reflecting the importance of U.S. allies taking a greater share of responsibility for regional security.
The U.S. and Japan have been allies for over 60 years now, and there is no doubt that the alliance will remain strong in the future. As old threats persist and new threats emerge in and around the Asia-Pacific region, it is important that the U.S. and Japan work together and with other security allies in the region to face the threats as they come to pass.
