April 22, 2026

Japan, a Hesitant Geopolitical Actor No More

By: Derek Grossman

This article was originally published in The Washington Post.

In a historic move that signals a new era for Japanese defense policy, Tokyo has acted swiftly to secure its first major export of lethal hardware.

On April 18, Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, signed contracts for a $7 billion deal on warships. Starting in 2029, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will supply the Royal Australian Navy with 11 upgraded Mogami-class frigates, with three to be built in Japan and the rest in Australia.

U.S. politics are a key driver of Japan’s geopolitical renaissance.

Faced with a revisionist China seeking to end the United States’ regional dominance, as well as a belligerent Russia and North Korea, Takaichi is overseeing a drastic about-face. She has decided to put military heft behind the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision, with its implicit emphasis on containing China, of her predecessor and mentor, the late Shinzo Abe.

Read the full article in The Washington Post.

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