OpinionThinking About China

Against China, Russia, and North Korea, Japan Is Redoubling Its Defenses

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Against China, Russia, and North Korea, Japan Is Redoubling Its Defenses
A Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Type-74 tank fires ammunition during a live fire exercise at the JSDF's training grounds in the East Fuji Maneuver area in Gotemba, Japan, on May 22, 2021. Akio Kon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Richard A. Bitzinger
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Commentary
President Joe Biden has succeeded in corralling Japan and South Korea—two countries with a long history of “frosty relations” (to say the least)—into a quasi-alliance with the United States. This tripartite coalition is by no means an “Asian NATO,” but it sends a strong message of Western unity in the Pacific to Beijing and Moscow.
Richard A. Bitzinger
Richard A. Bitzinger
Author
Richard A. Bitzinger is an independent international security analyst. He was previously a senior fellow with the Military Transformations Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, and he has held jobs in the U.S. government and at various think tanks. His research focuses on security and defense issues relating to the Asia-Pacific region, including the rise of China as a military power, and military modernization and arms proliferation in the region.
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