Japan is no longer Asia’s defensive power

For nearly eight decades, East Asia’s security architecture rested on a predictable premise: Japan would remain a strictly defensive fortress, constrained by Article 9 of its 1947 constitution and its historical Senshu Boei (exclusively defense-oriented) doctrine.

That foundational assumption has now evaporated – with major implications for regional security.Confronted by China’s rapid military expansion, North Korea’s relentless missile testing, and deepening Sino-Russian security coordination, Tokyo has undertaken its most radical defense transformation since World War II.

The strategic catalyst arrived in December 2022 with the revision of Japan’s National Security Strategy (NSS), which formally authorized the acquisition of counterstrike capability (hangeki noryoku). This policy shift broke the long-standing 1% of GDP cap on defense spending, aiming for 2% by 2027, effectively creating the world’s third-largest defense budget.

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