Japan to fortify denial capabilities with US in defence strategy revamp

Japan is considering including a commitment to strengthening its “capabilities to deny” an adversary’s aggression in coordination with the United States in a major defence policy document to be revised later this year, government sources said on Tuesday.

The basic guidelines for the National Defence Strategy will also call for expanded Japan-US cooperation to strengthen the defence industrial base and deeper security ties with like-minded countries, the sources said.

The National Security Strategy, the highest-ranking of the three documents slated for revision by year-end, is likely to describe the world as entering a period of fundamental transformation, the sources said, citing a draft outline.

The document is also expected to outline “six changes” in the security environment, including the weaponisation of economic interdependence, the sources added.

The planned revisions of the three documents, which also include the Defence Build-up Programme, will take place under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, known for her hawkish stance on national security, amid China’s growing assertiveness, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programmes.

Earlier on Tuesday, Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, launched working-level talks on the three papers, which were last updated in 2022.