Japan has no choice but to be a part of the deterrence force against any Chinese invasion of Taiwan, believes Prof Hideshi Tokuchi, one of Japan’s foremost security analysts,
China’s increasingly belligerent activities over the past year, particularly against the Philippines, had heightened overall security risks in the region, said Prof Tokuchi, who was the nation’s first-ever Vice-Minister of Defense for International Affairs before joining the Research Institute for Peace and Security, Tokyo as President in June 2021.
“China’s actions are not confined to the Philippines alone but are part of a broader strategy affecting other nations like the US and Japan,” Prof Tokuchi told StratNewsGlobal on the sidelines of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2024.
This in turn had led Japan to adopt a more proactive stance to support a rules-based international order, which included actively strengthening its military capabilities to contribute to regional security and counterbalance China’s aggressive moves, he said.
Japan’s commitment to upholding regional stability is driven by its need for a peaceful and stable international environment, which had helped its growth, he said.
Taiwan Issue A Key Concern
Describing the Taiwan issue as one of the most serious security challenges in the region, He warned that China’s willingness to use force to annex Taiwan poses a significant risk to regional peace.
“If Japan does not actively participate in deterrence efforts, China’s ambitions could extend beyond Taiwan and become a direct threat to Japan itself,” he cautioned.
“So it is increasingly important for not just Japan and India to cooperate with each other, but as many like-minded countries as possible, to get together in order to cooperate for regional security,” he said.
For more insights into Southeast Asia’s strategic outlook and how regional powers are shaping the Indo-Pacific framework, watch the full conversation with Prof. Hideshi Tokuchi.
