By Simran Walia
As the driving force behind the promotion of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Japan has assumed a prominent role in building a rules-based system. Tokyo is currently working to further its vision of the most dynamic region on Earth and encourage greater cross-border economic development. During a speech by Japan’s Prime Minister in October 2023, he made a strong mention of a ‘Free and Open International Order’ (FOIO) based on the rule of law’ which seems to bring this more in focus.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has threatened the international rules-based order and Northeast Asian countries such as China and North Korea are immediate concerns to Japan’s security. In Japan’s revised National Security Strategy in December 2022, what was explicitly mentioned was that Japan would maintain and develop a free and open international order, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. Theoretically, Japan’s security and foreign policy showcases how a major power engages in the liberal international order. As a result of China’s growing influence and power over the past 20 years, Japan has responded to shifts in regional and global power dynamics by adjusting its strategy and, at the initiative of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, creating a concept of a more expansive geopolitical environment. Significantly, Abe’s foreign policy strategy was always based on the “rule of law” premise. Japan’s current PM Fumio Kishida has been attempting to further bolster Japan’s security power dynamics to uphold the international order.
According to Henry Kissinger, the ‘international order’, implies a set of commonly accepted rules that define the limits of permissible action and a balance of power that enforces restraint when rules break down. The concept of the Indo-Pacific and Japan’s role in it encompasses stabilising the balance of power equations too. India has always tried to maintain a realistic stance regarding its cooperation with Japan in the Indo-Pacific region and countering China’s aggressive moves in the region. Kishida came up with the New Plan for Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) in March 2023 during his visit to New Delhi and emphasised that India and Japan both have a responsibility to strengthen a ‘free and open International order based on the rule of law’. Along with Japan’s FOIP, Tokyo also launched the ‘free and open international order’ in 2017. Former Foreign Minister Kishida stated in an article published in the French newspaper Le Figaro in January 2017 that “Japan and Europe must actively cooperate in promoting the rule of law to support a free and open international order.”
The FOIO gained popularity in the years 2022–2023, sometimes used in conjunction with the expression “the rule of law—meaning the one among nations.” Japan persisted in promoting its idea of a “free and open international order based on the rule of law” internationally after taking the G7 Chair. With FOIP, Tokyo has achieved notable progress in maintaining the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region, and now it is prepared to present its FOIO vision to the world at large, hoping that it would be embraced by all.
As the “thought leader” and moral compass of the rule-based order, Japan’s FOIO continues to play these roles for the FOIP. Its strength comes from its emphasis on the fundamentals of our shared existence as a global society. It focuses on highlighting territorial integrity and sovereignty. Thus, it is anticipated that the FOIO would serve as the “common denominator” for Japan’s international involvement. Kishida maintains his defence of “human dignity,” but in stark contrast to Western liberal leaders, his story and position are open and welcoming. Thus, it is evident that Tokyo’s FOIO messaging aims to garner broad support from the “Global South”—far beyond the boundaries of the Indo-Pacific region.
The Indo-Pacific region is facing “mounting strategic challenges to the rules-based international order,” as stated by Kishida and US President Joe Biden. Japan, India, and its Quad partners should not give up on the FOIP—of which Japan is the author—nor its goals or its geographical area. The term “Indo-Pacific” is now used interchangeably with warnings about China’s revisionism.
Way Forward
The international rules-based order faces significant challenges from authoritarian regimes. Japan’s normative diplomacy would be severely limited if it were restricted to the Indo-Pacific region. Japan viewed the globe through the lens of panoramic diplomacy, which Abe himself practised. Kishida is correct in emphasizing the “free and open international order based on the rule of law,” which transcends the boundaries of the Indo-Pacific region. He ought to take a broad approach. However, this new conception does not fade away Japan’s Free and open Indo-Pacific vision as this has been the fundamental aspect of foreign policy.
Japan regards the US-Japan alliance as a key part of international order and under Article 6 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, American soldiers use their bases in Japan to defend South Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
Japan has made an effort to strengthen the alliance’s deterrence since signing the pact, going beyond merely permitting American soldiers to utilize Japanese facilities. For instance, Japan consented to combine its forces with American forces engaged in non-combat activities in adjacent circumstances. In the recent US-Japan summit held in April 2024, both countries emphasised maintaining a rules-based international order.
All of the free nations should unite to defend a “free and open Indo-Pacific” to dissuade China from waging war. Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States formed the AUKUS alliance to maintain this structure, and the Quad was resurrected. Cross-domain capabilities, such as those in cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as our investment in cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum science, should be reinforced if the Japan-U.S. alliance is to remain competitive well into the future. Japan’s aim to strengthen its defence capabilities is now a crucial ally of the United States in its attempts to uphold the global rules-based order. The majority of Kishida’s legacy as Prime Minister will probably already come from the strengthening and augmentation of Japan’s security capabilities during his leadership.
Japan should not compromise the hard-earned successes of the FOIP to advance the FOIO. Japan is in a better position than any other nation to perform this role, thus it must actively promote the FOIP and FOIO to create a consensus among the vast circle of states, especially those in the political South. This will help the increasingly unstable and uncertain world as well as Japan.
The author is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi and is pursuing PhD in Japanese Studies under the Centre for East Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She has also completed M.Phil in Japanese Studies and worked at the Observer Research Foundation. Her Research Interests include Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy, Indo-Pacific Dynamics and East Asian Foreign Policy.
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