Japan Is Giving the United States a Chance in Asia
Japan has nearly doubled its defense budget, purchased long-range missiles capable of striking military targets in China and North Korea, signed agreements permitting overseas deployments, taken combat roles in multilateral exercises, and lifted its prohibition on exporting weapons. In November 2025, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments about defending Taiwan led Beijing to launch a coercion campaign against Tokyo, including throttling heavy rare-earth supplies and suspending Japanese seafood imports, and Washington did not forcefully stand up for her in public. In May 2026 Washington told Tokyo it was delaying delivery of Tomahawk missiles Japan had purchased more than two years earlier, and in August it temporarily moved its only aircraft carrier permanently deployed outside the United States from East Asia to the Middle East.
Why it matters: The article bears on the theme of US-China competition, arguing that Washington's complacency toward Tokyo risks leaving the United States with less power and influence across the Indo-Pacific.