September 12, 2014

Going Anti-Access at Sea: How Japan Can Turn the Tables on China

The CNAS Asia-Pacific Security Program’s Maritime Strategy Series aims to explore various types and facets of strategies to deter, deny and impose costs on provocative behavior in maritime Asia, as part of an overall effort to preserve that region’s long-term peace and stability. In this second paper in the Maritime Strategy Series, Professor Toshi Yoshihara of the U.S. Naval War College examines how Tokyo can, in the context of a consistently defensive approach to security and a strong U.S.-Japan alliance, adopt asymmetric strategies to counter negative trends in relative maritime power between Japan and China. He concludes that Japan could leverage existing capabilities, human and physical capital to better deny war aims of potential aggressors, thus bolstering defense and deterrence, strengthening the alliance with Washington, and contributing to the overall peace of maritime East Asia.

Author

  • Toshi Yoshihara

  • Commentary

    Indo-Pacific Security

    Does the Quad Still Matter?

    Under the second Trump administration, some analysts have expressed growing pessimism about the group’s effectiveness, given the president’s apparent lack of interest in atten...

    By Lisa Curtis

    • War on the Rocks
    • June 2, 2026
  • Reports

    Indo-Pacific Security

    Thwarting Communications Blackout

    Executive Summary Control over the physical means of transmitting information—the lifeblood of modern societies—has become a central area of contestation between Taiwan and th...

    By Jacob Stokes & Ryan Claffey

    • May 28, 2026
  • Video

    Indo-Pacific Security

    Pakistan’s Growing Regional Role

    Pakistan’s regional role is expanding — but what does it mean for the Middle East, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific? In a new MBN Digital Salon, Jeffrey Gedmin discusse...

    By Lisa Curtis

    • May 28, 2026
  • Commentary

    Indo-Pacific Security

    Japan’s Point of No Return

    But if Washington treats a stronger Japan as a true partner and keeps it firmly within its alliance system, American influence in Asia will be greater than ever....

    By Daisuke Kawai

    • Foreign Affairs
    • May 27, 2026

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia