24 Jan 2023
Japan and ASEAN: 50 years of maritime strategy
Collaboration on ending illegal fishing and piracy in the region is important. But there are also bigger fish to fry.
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16 Jan 2023
Towards meaningful Quad cooperation on intelligence
Collaborative AI capabilities would allow the partners to deepen military cooperation, should leaders choose that step. -
19 Dec 2022
A focused direction for the Quad
Doubling-down on existing initiatives – rather than new goals – will see the grouping deliver tangible public goods. -
5 Oct 2022
Hot button issue: North Korea’s bold new nuclear stance
Regional leaders would do well to focus on engagement with Pyongyang after missile launches set a dangerous precedent. -
28 Sep 2022
“Predatory cult”: the shadow of Unification Church over Abe’s funeral
Researcher Sarah Hightower explains Japan’s reckoning over the influence of a controversial sect in Japanese politics. -
21 Sep 2022
Economic diplomacy: Womenomics shifts from Tokyo to Jakarta
Can a female finance minister in Indonesia avoid the demographic dilemma that has handicapped Japan’s evolution? -
13 Sep 2022
The Quad needs a stronger economic message
Trade is the path to regional prosperity, but the four partners stand divided on how this can be achieved. -
8 Sep 2022
Can Seoul and Tokyo mend ties?
Defence talks this week are a good sign. But a lot of history stands in the way of cooperation, even over North Korea. -
27 Jul 2022
The shadow of Abe
The contentious changes brought about by the former prime minister will be debated for years to come. -
27 Jul 2022
The Quad needs a futures focus
A better – and public – understanding is needed of the cascading effects of regional challenges. -
27 Jul 2022
Economic diplomacy: The Pacific beats ASEAN for nervous investors
Abe Shinzo’s passing and the Timor oil spy case dismissal reveal new thinking about what national security means. -
26 Jul 2022
Abe Shinzo: the Quad stands as his Indo-Pacific legacy
Driven by a vision of democratic peace spanning two seas, Japan’s former prime minister transformed regional diplomacy. -
26 Jul 2022
Abe’s drive to “bring back Japan”
The former prime minister was a policy entrepreneur in debates that will guide the country’s future. -
26 Jul 2022
What a waste! Japan’s food sustainability challenge
Imported food has an environmental cost. And a nationwide effort is needed to drastically cut the amount discarded. -
25 Jul 2022
Abe Shinzo: Australia’s “best friend” in Asia
Shinzo Abe was a pioneer of Australia-Japan relations in a complicated geopolitical region. -
28 Jun 2022
Contingency plans: South Korea and cross-Strait security
Seoul’s new administration faces critical choices over Taiwan and its relationships with Washington and Beijing. -
27 Jun 2022
Why Australia shouldn’t put all its eggs in the Quad basket
The regional security pact is yet to prove its worth. Options must be kept open, with minilaterals top of the list. -
10 Jun 2022
How the Abe era reshaped Japan’s foreign and security policy
Abe Shinzo put in place a strategy that will not only endure but also influence other nations in view of China. -
8 Jun 2022
The Pyongyang problem for the Quad
North Korea poses a challenge for regional security, and so often China has stood to benefit from such instability. -
31 May 2022
Japan-Australia: building a hydrogen supply chain
Efforts to develop a network for cleaner energy in the Indo-Pacific marks a practical step for closer relations. -
26 May 2022
“Black ships”, the Quad and space
Satellite technology underpins the attempt to tackle China’s illegal fishing. -
26 May 2022
Albanese steps cautiously through the Quad wrangle
Japan’s media enthusiastically covered the “diplomatic debut” of Australia’s new PM, expecting continuity over change. -
17 May 2022
No Gas: Lessons from Poland and Bulgaria for the Quad
The risk of disrupted energy supplies is not only in Europe but a danger in the Indo-Pacific, too. -
17 May 2022
AUKUS: More than meets the eye
A series of small, overlapping initiatives are combining to bolster the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific. -
8 Apr 2022
How Japan can help nudge India away from Russia
India’s biggest security headache remains a belligerent China, and Japan should look to help ease this challenge. -
21 Mar 2022
Does the Quad Plus add up?
The four-way security group should walk its talk about an inclusive region by stepping up dialogue with other countries. -
14 Mar 2022
Ukraine war triggers debate on Japan’s nuclear option
In a new and volatile strategic environment, a decades-old commitment on non-proliferation is up for discussion. -
17 Feb 2022
Okinawa’s vocal anti-US military base movement
Environmental damage and gendered violence are flashpoints on the tiny island dominated by US troops. -
9 Feb 2022
Delivering promises will show steel in Quad
Presidents Xi and Putin make a deliberate show of solidarity, but Quad partners should focus on boosting defence ties. -
21 Jan 2022
Australia–Japan defence cooperation in the grey zone
Clever use of deterrence techniques, air defence zones and artificial intelligence are critical for the military allies. -
19 Jan 2022
Japan’s low-tech world
A glacial move towards digitalisation has left much of the country’s workforce and public servces in the last century. -
11 Jan 2022
Japan and Australia ties blossom
A new defence pact marks a stronger partnership for countries driven together by shared values and regional dynamics. -
27 Oct 2021
AUKUS? Quad? FOIP? A fragmented approach cannot counter China
Only a coherent policy for the Indo-Pacific will work. The West needs to offer a strong economic balance to Beijing. -
7 Oct 2021
Economic diplomacy: Japan’s new PM joins the (supply) chain gang
New research shows Australia may be an export diversification role model. -
30 Sep 2021
Meet Japan’s new PM
Asia’s oldest democracy looks for a steady hand on the tiller in a time of regional flux. -
14 Sep 2021
Tokyo2020+1 wraps up as Japan’s next race begins
With candidates jostling to take over from Yoshihide Suga, a late sprint from behind can’t be ruled out. -
6 Sep 2021
Japan’s nuclear identity and the complicated endgame
The legacy of a complex nuclear history weighs heavily on a country torn between deterrence and disarmament. -
18 Aug 2021
The double challenge for Suga
Japan’s Prime Minister cleared a massive Olympic hurdle. But will he trip up on the politics to follow? -
6 Aug 2021
Life in a host city, at home, live-streaming the Olympics
Watching on from a tatami floor in Tokyo, the sport is great, the geopolitics just as good. -
20 Jul 2021
Postcard from Tokyo 2020+1
Sport and politics make an unhappy union at one of the most controversial Olympics ever. -
14 Jul 2021
Olympic glory: Tokyo’s success is a win for Beijing
China has just as much riding on a successful Tokyo 2020 Games as Japan. -
22 Apr 2021
Economic diplomacy: Supply chains, ASEAN wanes, and Japan’s coal dump
Will government have to pick a winner for 6G networks to show the US and Japan as “global leaders in innovation”? -
22 Apr 2021
Toxic reaction to Japan’s Fukushima water dump
Experts insist the release of treated radioactive water is not dangerous. Legal challenges might find otherwise. -
12 Apr 2021
The Quad (finally) delivers: Can it be sustained?
The future of the grouping might well be determined by China’s behaviour. -
8 Apr 2021
Legalising same-sex marriage in Japan
A court ruling has thrown down the challenge to Japanese politicians to ensure equality before the law. -
16 Mar 2021
The Quad gives a boost to India’s vaccine diplomacy
Countering China’s influence is one thing. But fostering regional cooperation plays to the strengths of the grouping. -
15 Mar 2021
A new “concert” to govern the Indo-Pacific
For Quad leaders emphasising an “inclusive” region, there may be a ready-made example for involving China. -
4 Feb 2021
History haunts Japan–South Korea ties
Geopolitical expediency has previously pushed South Korea and Japan closer together, but a painful past keeps intruding. -
27 Jan 2021
Using the Australian Open as a Tokyo test run
Two international sporting events thousands of kilometres apart are linked by a common opponent. -
20 Jan 2021
Japan under Suga: The delicate balancing act
The PM must satisfy more hawkish views on China at home, as well as Washington’s expectations of greater burden-sharing.