On October 1, Shigeru Ishiba was sworn in as Prime Minister of Japan. An expert in strategic and defense issues, his proposal to revise the security alliance with the United States and create an Asian version of NATO has sparked heated debate.
Continuing the defense reforms initiated by Shinzo Abe and Fumio Kishida, Ishiba also aims to strengthen Japan’s strategic autonomy by revising Article 9 of the Constitution, rebalancing roles within the Japan-US alliance, diversifying its strategic partners and adopting confidence-building measures with China.
For the time being, the idea of an Asian NATO seems unrealistic; the regional security architecture in the Indo-Pacific appears to be moving less toward a collective defense pact than a system of integrated deterrence, structured around alliances and security pacts. Japan and the Japan-US alliance play a central role in this.
About the Author
Céline PAJON, Research Fellow, Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri.