The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs is excited to welcome Kiridori Ryo, research fellow at the National Institute for Defense Studies, to discuss Japan's defense policy.

Over the past decade, Japan has significantly updated its defense policy. In 2015, the government partially lifted restrictions on the exercise of collective self-defense. Since 2022, the defense budget has grown rapidly, and the Self-Defense Force has expanded its ability to project power far beyond Japan’s immediate territory. These represent significant shifts that would have been unimaginable only a few decades ago. How should we understand these developments? To what extent has Japan’s defense policy shifted from its previous course? What do these reforms mean for the U.S.–Japan Alliance and for peace and stability in the Western Pacific? What objectives is Japan seeking to achieve through these defense policy upgrades, and what challenges does it face? This talk examines these questions to provide a deeper understanding of Japan’s evolving defense posture.