Japan’s warming Western relations

ONE of the standout features of international relations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been the warming of Western relations with Japan.

This was showcased again at the recent Group of Seven (G7) leadership summit, which notched up significant achievements, including in the geopolitical arena. Moreover, last year Fumio Kishida became the first Japanese prime minister to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization leadership meeting, and there is even speculation of Tokyo being invited into Western intelligence forums such as the “Five Eyes” alliance of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

These examples illustrate that much of the attention around warming ties has focused on the defence and intelligence arenas. In part, this reflects Japan’s ambition, since the Ukraine war began, to try to tie together the threats from Russia in Europe with its own concerns about the rise of China in the Asia-Pacific where it wants to ensure Western support vis-a-vis Beijing.