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A different Japan is emerging in Asia
The global geopolitical chaos is forcing a normalisation of Japan’s defence posture.
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A Mogami-class stealth frigate anchored at a naval base in Japan. Tokyo’s recent US$10 billion (S$12.8 billion) agreement to sell 11 such vessels to Australia underscores its ambition to become a serious supplier of military hardware, says the writer.
PHOTO: AFP
For a nation where change comes at a glacial pace, the past week has been something of a headspinner for Japan.
Rather than a series of isolated moves, what is emerging is a clear pattern: Japan is no longer merely adapting within its post-World War II constraints but rather steadily and deliberately shedding them.
