As the security environment surrounding the Indo-Pacific region becomes increasingly severe and complex, there is a growing need for like-minded countries to further strengthen bilateral and regional partnerships in order to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific. In response to these changes, countries across the region are adapting their security postures to a new era of geopolitical challenges. Japan is no exception, as it moves to revise the Three Strategic Documents—the National Security Strategy (NSS), the National Defense Strategy (NDS), and the Defense Buildup Program (DBP)—to better address the evolving security environment.

Situations in Ukraine and the Middle East have shown that the core logic behind defense and deterrence has undergone seismic shifts. Advances in drones, hypersonic weapons, and cyber warfare—including the use of AI—are testing the bounds of modern national defense capabilities. Japan and other like-minded countries in the region are also grappling with how to best adapt to this new security paradigm.

In the Indo-Pacific, questions remain about how to bring such diverse nations, all with their own partnerships and logistical concerns, into alignment on deterrence, development, and procurement. In order to maintain peace in the region, what do like-minded nations expect from Japan’s defense document revisions? Moreover, how are the dynamics of regional partnerships—both bilateral and multilateral—changing in response to the rapidly evolving regional security environment? Finally, with the US and China both changing their posture in Asia, what responses can we expect from Japan and its partners?