Japan’s Strategic Shift: Security, Alliances, and Risk in the Indo-Pacific

In this episode, we sit down with Benoit Hardy-Chartrand, Senior Lecturer at Temple University Japan and Adjunct Professor at the United Nations University Tokyo, to examine Japan’s evolving security outlook amid an increasingly complex geopolitical environment in the Indo-Pacific. Benoit discusses recent shifts in Japan’s defence posture, including increased spending and updated strategic frameworks, and what these changes reveal about Japan’s assessment of regional risks. He also explores the growing importance of economic security in shaping resilience and strategic vulnerability, as well as Japan’s relationships with key partners such as the United States, Australia, and South Korea. Finally, we consider where Canada and Japan can deepen cooperation on shared strategic priorities and what developments policymakers should be watching in the years ahead.