Publication – Shaping a New Alliance: Japan’s Defensive Evolution and Strategic Shift towards NATO and Europe

In recent years, Japan has identified several major risks to its national security and perceives its strategic environment as becoming increasingly unstable. As a result, Japan has enacted transformative defense reforms, including the 2022 National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Plan. These call for the doubling of defense spending by 2027.

This report by Anoma van der Veere examines Japan’s evolving defense and security policies within the context of intensifying regional and global challenges, focusing on its role in the Indo-Pacific and expanding partnerships with Europe and NATO.