05.10.2020

What Would Suga’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Look Like?

What Would Suga’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Look Like?”, Commentary, ISPI, 5 October 2020

With the resignation of Prime Minister Abe, the future of Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy has been called into question. Abe was indeed one of the key architects of this vision and he devoted enormous energy to flesh it out. For sure, his successor, Suga Yoshihide, will have his hands full with domestic issues, from tackling the COVID-related economic crisis to implementing daunting structural reforms. Moreover, as Suga is lacking diplomatic experience, a risk was to see Japan becoming less committed on the international stage.