Opinion – Okinawa’s Struggle with Ongoing US Military Presence
National sentiment in Japan can diverge sharply over military instalments, and local resistance remains a source of uncertainty for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s plans.
Opinion – Alliance Shock Revisited: What 1968-69 Means for 2025
If Tokyo and Seoul fail to deepen strategic integration, they risk repeating the illusion that regional security can exclusively rely on a single external great power.
Opinion – Purposive, Not Reactive: Japan’s Museum Diplomacy in Egypt
By investing in institutions that preserve identity and heritage, Japan is constructing influence that outlasts any single loan agreement or connectivity corridor.
Interview – Jaehan Park
Jaehan Park reflects on how military service reshaped his worldview and inspired a career exploring geopolitics, East Asian security, and great-power rivalry.
Trilateral Lessons from the 1980s for Today’s Indo-Pacific Challenges
The yardstick of success is an alliance structure between the US, Japan, and South Korea that functions even when friendship falters.
Opinion – Japan’s Growing Maritime Flashpoints
Tokyo’s increasing militarization, improved regional partnerships, and diplomatic measures will be paramount in mitigating tensions with China and Russia.
Trump’s ‘Gangster Diplomacy’: The Political Economy of US-Japan Tariffs
Trump’s use of tariffs is framed as ideological warfare against globalism, making Japan – a liberal internationalist stronghold – a prime target.
(Re)Imagining Japan: Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Victimhood Nationalism
By refusing to name the US as perpetrator yet affirming Japan’s status as victim, post-war LDP governments absolved the US of its responsibility.
Strategic or Symbolic? Reassessing Hiroshima and Nagasaki Eighty Years On
Eighty years on, the available information suggest that the US leadership overestimated the strategic impact of the nuclear bombings on Japan.
In Japan, Words Matter in Leadership
Accountability, when taken seriously, can fortify the democratic fabric of the state as scholarly communities continue to examine issues of governance and moral leadership.
