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Developments in Japan’s Defense Strategies and Readiness: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

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Asie Visions
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On December 18, 2018, the Japanese government issued its latest National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG), marking another step in Japan’s defense planning and the readiness of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF).

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Broadly, there are four key takeaways from the 2018 NDPG: (1) Nascent but notable push for readiness based on Japan’s expanded strategic frontiers under the auspices of the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”, (2) the emerging concept of “offense is the best means of defense” to defend and deter against threats, (3) pursuit of readiness for multi-domain operations in the ground, maritime, air, cyber, outer space, and electromagnetic spectrums, and promoting jointness that coordinates operations in those domains, and (4) greater coordination and interoperability with the United States and to some extent with other likeminded states at the strategic, operational and tactical levels. The revised NDPG is certainly a new step in Japan’s accelerated efforts to sharpen and strengthen the JSDF’s readiness.

Yet, despite the notable developments over the past two decades, there are still some issues that constrain Japan from formulating the strategies and readiness to effectively deal with the fluid and uncertain security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly with China’s increasingly assertive strategies and actions in the East and South China Seas and Taiwan Straits, North Korea’s continued bellicose behavior and military modernization, and also uncertainties over Russia’s strategies. Moreover, given the growing demands despite the political and economic constraints, there are still questions about how Japan’s defense planning and readiness will continue to advance in the years to come.

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979-10-373-0426-1

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Developments in Japan’s Defense Strategies and Readiness: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

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Center for Asian Studies
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Asia is a nerve center for multiple global economic, political and security challenges. The Center for Asian Studies provides documented expertise and a platform for discussion on Asian issues to accompany decision makers and explain and contextualize developments in the region for the sake of a larger public dialogue.

The Center's research is organized along two major axes: relations between Asia's major powers and the rest of the world; and internal economic and social dynamics of Asian countries. The Center's research focuses primarily on China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also covers Southeast Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Pacific Islands. 

The Centre for Asian Studies maintains close institutional links with counterpart research institutes in Europe and Asia, and its researchers regularly carry out fieldwork in the region.

The Center organizes closed-door roundtables, expert-level seminars and a number of public events, including an Annual Conference, that welcome experts from Asia, Europe and the United States. The work of Center’s researchers, as well as that of their partners, is regularly published in the Center’s electronic journal Asie.Visions.

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Developments in Japan’s Defense Strategies and Readiness: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?