Ayumi Teraoka in Center for Advanced China Research

Ayumi Teraoka, Asia Policy Program Affiliate and America in the World Consortium Postdoctoral Fellow, was interviewed for the Center for Advanced China Research on Japan’s defense policy and alliance with the United States, as well as its relations with China. Though Japan-U.S. relations are in good shape, with 98.2% of Japanese public respondents agreeing that the relationship with the U.S. is important to the two countries and the Indo-Pacific region, Dr. Teraoka speaks to the strategic concerns, legal considerations and the domestic political factors that may limit Japan’s military operating ability in a Taiwan contingency with the U.S. and its ability to balance ties with China, an important neighbor with less incentive to foster friendly relations. Quad and other security frameworks like AUKUS are opportune for Japan to strengthen ties with other U.S. allies and to balance shared adversaries. “… Japan is a key architect behind these initiatives and most active in deepening ties among the ‘spoke’ of the U.S. alliance system in Asia,” argues Dr. Teraoka. You can read the full article here.