COMMENTARIES

RIPS’ Eye, January 14, 2021 Japan Should Reinforce Defense Diplomacy   Masahiro Matsumura, Ph.D. Professor of International Politics, St. Andrew’s University in Osaka RIPS Senior Research Fellow   Amid intensified U.S.-China hegemonic rivalry, Japan is now walking a strategic tightrope as America’s primary frontline ally and forward deployment base against China. Also, Japan is one of China’s primary regional competitors, geo-strategically situated to block China’s power projection into the Western Pacific. Certainly, deterrence through the Japan-U.S. alliance is essential, but … More