How to Transform the Japan Self-Defense Force for Twenty-First-Century Deterrence

Please join Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology for the launch of a new report, Strengthening the Front Line: Transforming the Japan Self-Defense Force for Twenty-First-Century Deterrence. Japan’s government has committed to historic increases in defense spending—and is preparing to revise its National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program before the end of 2026. But larger budgets and updated strategy documents alone will not translate into deterrence. The Japan Self-Defense Forces need a fundamentally different force design: one built around adaptability, uncrewed systems, and hedge forces tailored to how future conflict in the Indo-Pacific is likely to unfold. Join report authors Bryan Clark and David Byrd, in conversation with Masashi Murano, for a discussion of the report’s principal findings and their implications for how Japan should design and resource its future defense force.