Japan’s National Defense Strategy in the Takaichi Era

YCAPS is excited to announce the next event in the Community Conversations seminar series in the Iwakuni Community! This event will feature Dr. Adam P. Liff, Professor of East Asian International Relations at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, who will guide us in a discussion on Japan's National Defense Strategy in the Takaichi Era.

In December 2022, Japan’s leaders made global headlines when they announced a historic revision of Japan’s national defense strategy. That strategy, still in effect, was as remarkable for its substantive ambition and breadth as for what it revealed about leaders’ growing alarm about the rapidly worsening security environment surrounding Japan. Less than four years later, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has already announced plans for another major revision by the end of 2026, years ahead of schedule. This talk will introduce key elements of Japan’s national defense strategy and highlight current political debates in Japan about what comes next. The combination of rapidly shifting geopolitics, the worsening threat environment facing Japan, and the concentration of political power in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party following its overwhelming February election victory all carry important implications for Japan’s defense policy and, by extension, the U.S.-Japan alliance.

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This event is free and open to all in the Iwakuni and surrounding communities. refreshments will be provided.

Registration (optional) at this Google form.

Schedule:

• 18:15-19:00 - Refreshments & Networking (food & drinks)
• 19:00-20:15 - Presentation and Q&A
• 20:15-20:30 - Optional light networking/wrap up

Location:

Atago Sports Complex - Culture Center: 2nd Floor Multi-Purpose Room

2 Chome Atagomachi, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi 740-0037

https://www.city.iwakuni.lg.jp/soshiki/19/28779.html

Google Maps

Speaker:

Dr. Adam P. Liff is Professor of East Asian International Relations at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, where he also serves as Founding Director of its 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative (“21JPSI”). Beyond IU, he is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Center for Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, as well as a Faculty Associate and Associate-in-Research at Harvard University’s Program on U.S.-Japan Relations and Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, respectively. He is also the former Visiting Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. Dr. Liff’s research examines contemporary foreign policy and security challenges in East Asia—with a particular focus on Japanese politics, foreign policy, and the U.S.-Japan alliance; U.S. allies and Taiwan, Japan-U.S.-China relations; and U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Politics from Princeton University, a postgraduate research certificate in international politics from the University of Tokyo, and a B.A. with honors and with distinction from Stanford University. A dedicated educator, he has received multiple commendations for his teaching, including IU’s Trustees Teaching Award in 2024. His personal research website is https://adampliff.com/.

Format: This event will be off-the-record

Registration: Optional at this link
Moderators: Nick Milward and Anthony Boccia
Seminar Cost: Free of charge