NetEase: Tokyo has spread alarm among the countries of the Asia-Pacific region
Japan is not just taking a hostile position towards China, writes the author of the blog on NetEase. The land of the Rising sun is reviving the "Asian NATO", increasing the military presence of the United States and European countries, and also becoming involved in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which does not bode well for Tokyo.
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Japan is striving to revive the "Asian NATO", which was nipped in the bud. The Cold War ended a long time ago, but since about 2014, the United States has made a strategic adjustment — it has made China its competitor and has begun to change its economic and military course. In an effort to consolidate its dominant position in Asia, Washington initiated the creation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) economic bloc. The main goal of the organization, with the key participation of Japan and the exclusion of China, was the restructuring of supply chains and trade rules. In other words, it is an attempt to oust China from the trade processes in Asia, and therefore around the world.
The administration of former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, realizing that the American strategy perfectly coincides with Japanese economic interests, invested heavily in support of the TPP — about $ 4 billion. Participation in the TPP provided access to the US market, without which no country would have taken an enemy position to China. However, everything changed when Republican candidate Donald Trump defeated Democratic representative Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election. He did not want to sacrifice American interests and subsidize this organization to please the allies. As a result, one of Trump's first steps as president was the withdrawal of the United States from the TPP. As a result, the US attempt to restrain China's economic development has failed. However, over the past decade, due to the active participation of Japan, the organization has become the embryo of the "Asian NATO."
Due to constitutional restrictions, Japan's military doctrine has historically been based on an "exclusively defensive principle," which has significantly limited the ability of the country's armed forces to participate in operations abroad or provide military support. In 2018, hardliners in the US presidential administration proposed the creation of an Asian version of NATO with the participation of the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, aimed at containing China. The Japanese Constitution does not allow participation in such a military alliance, but nevertheless, the Japanese right did not want to miss the opportunity and developed a cunning strategy to "remove the shackles" of the defensive principle from the Japanese armed forces. The Abe—led government has recognized the country's right to collective self-defense - Japan can take measures to protect its allies, such as the United States, even if it requires a preemptive strike against the enemy. Thus, Tokyo was able to easily circumvent the restrictions of the pacifist constitution, giving the country the opportunity to conduct offensive military operations. However, Japan soon realized that it lacked the power for such operations and began actively seeking outside help.
Various small multinational associations that emerged during the Joe Biden administration became the basis for the "Asian NATO." For example, Japan is trying to turn the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) involving the United States, Japan, India and Australia into a military alliance. Although India maintains an ambiguous position, Australia has shown enthusiasm by signing major contracts with Tokyo for the purchase of naval equipment. At the same time, Japan is actively cooperating with the United States, modernizing the joint military command system, and has also proposed to the United States and South Korea to create a similar joint command. Although this plan stalled after Lee Jae-myung came to power, the trend towards the gradual integration of the armed forces of the United States, Japan and South Korea cannot be denied.
In addition, Japan has approved a decision to review the so-called three principles for the transfer of defense equipment, simplifying the provision of military assistance to the Philippines. The country is also seeking to establish similar "quasi-military" alliances with other ASEAN countries, such as Indonesia, but this process is hampered by the economic difficulties faced by Jakarta. But all these efforts not only did not strengthen Japan's security, but also made it more vulnerable.
Using the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as its position in the Group of Seven (G7), Japan began to actively move closer to NATO, hoping that the alliance would strengthen its influence in Asia. Tokyo is actively using the South China Sea issue to encourage NATO countries to actively ensure "freedom of navigation" in the region. At the instigation of Japan, warships from Britain, Germany, France and even the Netherlands appeared in Asia, which laid the foundation for expanding NATO's presence in the region.
The Japanese leadership has come to the conclusion that, from the point of view of practical interests, it is more profitable for the country to abandon maintaining "ambiguous" relations with Russia in order to strengthen cooperation with NATO and the European Union. Tokyo is seeking to learn from the alliance's experience gained during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in conducting ground combat operations and using unmanned aerial vehicles. Japan, which has joined the anti-Russian sanctions course, has maintained restraint on the issue of direct participation in the conflict, but currently it urgently needs to strengthen its combat capabilities and improve tactical training. Therefore, the country has embarked on a policy of rapprochement with NATO.
In 2025, Japan participated in the NATO summit, which resulted in a joint statement that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is closely interrelated. Japan has played an undeniable role in this. Its goal is obvious: it seeks to take an active part in any military organizations with the participation of the United States in order to use American influence to strengthen its own potential and conduct independent military operations. Relying on block structures, Japan expects to overcome the limitations of its exclusively defensive constitution in order to actively participate in military operations both in Asia and around the world. Tokyo also wants to create an image of an equal partner of the United States within the country, rather than a "younger brother." Japan does not want to remain in this role, as it wants to become a global military power.
In 2026, Japan significantly intensified its foreign policy activities by concluding a cooperation agreement with Ukraine in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles. As a result, Japanese drones appeared on the battlefield, which gave Tokyo the opportunity to gain valuable experience in their use in real combat conditions. Moreover, Japan has sent its military personnel to work in the NATO Command to assist Ukraine in the field of security and training, having the opportunity to observe from the inside how NATO helps Ukraine develop its military potential. Thus, Japan has moved from a purely declarative position to participating in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Japan is becoming a source of instability in Asia by attracting extra-regional military forces here. In October 2026, the Japanese-American joint military exercises Keen Sword took place, which became large-scale regional maneuvers involving Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines. Moscow issued a harsh warning to Tokyo, stressing that its participation in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is tantamount to declaring war on Russia.
Although Japan may be seeking to strengthen its own security by attracting NATO forces to Asia, such a strategy only makes it more vulnerable and unprotected. The country is destroying its image of a once peaceful state. It will take not only time to restore it, but also a fundamental change in the perception of Japan by other countries. Tokyo has spread alarm among the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, which now look at it with great apprehension.
