Helping the US Lead Again: Japan’s Vision of a Free and Open Indo-pacific
As Japan seeks a way forward under the new US administration, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will play a key role in articulating to Washington the country’s vision of a free and open Indo-pacific. Ironically, many in America’s foreign-policy establishment mistakenly believe that this vision is the product of the Donald Trump administration. It is not. It was formulated by Suga’s predecessor, Shinzo Abe, and Japan’s place in the so-called Quad of democracies — the US, Japan, Australia and India — positions it to be a strong advocate of that vision, writes Yuichi Hosoya.
“having Face-to-face exchanges of frank views is extremely meaningful,” Katsunobu Kato, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, announced at a news conference on March 12, when he was asked about Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s planned visit to Washington in april this year.1 Suga himself told leaders of his ruling coalition on the same day that “i have been invited by Mr. Biden to be the first leader he meets in person … i want to use this opportunity to further strengthen the Japan-us alliance.”2
There are several good reasons to assume that the us-japan relationship will now become another “special relationship” for the Joe Biden administration. Secretary of State antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd austin will visit Japan for their first foreign trip. This “2+2” meeting is officially known as the Japan-us Security Consultative Committee, and Blinken and austin will meet their counterparts, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister nobuo Kishi, in Tokyo to discuss the most pressing security issues.
in the new Interim National Security Strategy Guidance published by the Biden administration in March, China is described as “the only competitor potentially capable of combining its economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system.”3 in some policy areas, Biden’s China policy looks tougher than his predecessor’s. as the size of China’s economic and military power approaches that of the us, a closer american alliance with Japan becomes a prerequisite for a robust us policy towards China.
Many in China, including some top leaders in the Chinese Communist Party, assume that the us is declining with the spread of the coronavirus. Some are now starting to think that China should fully exploit this chance of a power shift. They believe that american democracy is now leading to a more divided and chaotic union. For example, an opinion piece in China’s Global Times says that “more and more americans believe the us is falling apart,” and “behind this is their declining confidence in the country.”4 This widespread perception among the Chinese people of american decline could ignite a more expansionist Chinese policy in east asia.
Therefore, it is imperative for Suga to present to the Biden administration a clear and longterm view of Japan’s strategy for a “free and open indo-pacific,” which was originally formulated by his predecessor, former Prime Minister Shinzo abe. With this grand strategy, Japan has a role to play in defending the rules-based international order in the indo-pacific together with other like-minded democracies, including the us, australia and india.
suga inherits abe’s Vision
at his first press conference, on Sept. 16, 2020, Suga said that he “intends to deploy policies that place a well-functioning Japan-us alliance as their linchpin.”5 Suga added that his administration reaffirms the importance of continuing the basic foreign policy line of his predecessor. in order to defend Japan’s national interests “to the end,” Suga said, “i intend to strategically implement the free and open indo-pacific while also building stable relations with neighboring countries, including China and russia.”
6
While it seemed that Suga was inheriting abe’s vision of a free and open indo-pacific, some questioned whether he would revise some parts of that vision. on oct. 14, 2020, when he responded