Japan's Leadership in the Indo-Pacific

This edited volume examines Japan's evolving strategic, economic, and diplomatic role in shaping the Indo-Pacific. It explores how Japan has advanced the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) amid changing regional alignments, intensifying great-power competition, and growing economic interdependence. Bringing together perspectives from international relations, geopolitics, strategic studies, economics, and area studies, the book traces Japan's transition from a reactive post-Cold War power to a more proactive regional actor. It also examines Japan's engagement with China's Belt and Road Initiative, India's Act East Policy, ASEAN's Indo-Pacific Outlook, and U.S. strategic rebalancing.

The volume highlights the strategic, economic, and normative dimensions of Tokyo's regional approach, while considering its implications for connectivity, regional cooperation, stability, and the evolving rules-based order. It offers readers a timely assessment of Japan's partnerships, policy choices, and regional priorities, and considers how these shape the future of the Indo-Pacific in an era of strategic uncertainty.