At the start of 2022, during his policy address to the Diet Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio introduced the concept of “diplomacy anchored in realism for the new era” as the guiding principle of his government’s foreign and national security policy. In particular, Kishida speculated that “the resiliency of Japanese diplomacy will be tested” and affirmed his determination to lead the country’s foreign and national security policy as the diplomat-in-chief. 

Indeed, it has turned out that his prediction of serious tests awaiting Japan’s foreign policy was an understatement. Just over a month after Kishida gave his policy address, Russia invaded Ukraine, putting Europe on the brink of the first large-scale ground war since World War II. Closer to Japan’s own neighborhood, North Korea has picked up the pace of its ballistic missile tests, most recently firing a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on March 24. Needless to say, Tokyo continues to face pressure from China’s activities in East China Sea. Japan even faced an air incursion by a Russian helicopter on March 2, prompting a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighter to respond.

Read the full article in The Diplomat.