Palgrave Studies in Maritime Politics and Security | 2021
Historical Continuities, Geopolitical Interests, and Norms in Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific
Abstract
The Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) is a reaction against China’s increasing political and economic influence under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It represents Japan’s emerging geopolitical interests in the Indo-Pacific and is a product of Japanese nationalism which envisages competition between the two regional great powers as “Japan versus China.” Though it was officially announced in 2016 under Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, it is a continuation of Japan’s past security and economic cooperation with the region. However, the use of Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) beyond territorial defense is still cautiously restrained by the Japanese government except for naval exercises, port visits, and defense exchanges in the region. Japan’s defense and ODA budget has not significantly increased to cover the huge geographical area to compete with China. The gap between its grandiose geopolitical vision and limited capability suggests that the FOIP will remain Japan’s political tool to put psychological pressure on China by non-military means such as the power of norms.