The world is undergoing the most significant structural change since the end of World War II, with shifts in the balance of power and intensifying conflicts challenging the free and open international order based on the rule of law. The Global South is also playing a larger role in international affairs.
Ten years ago, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advanced the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), recognizing the region as a future global development hub. Today, Japan is strategically evolving FOIP to address new challenges, including economic security and building resilient supply chains, while maintaining core principles of freedom, rule of law, diversity, inclusiveness, and openness.
Japan emphasizes the urgent need to ensure free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint for global logistics. Tokyo joined a joint statement on March 19, 2026, and is strengthening cooperation with the International Maritime Organization and other partners.
Japan has deepened ties with Middle Eastern partners, working as trusted and mutually beneficial allies. Building on this foundation, Tokyo aims to advance cooperation for regional stability and shared prosperity.
Japan's security policy remains exclusively defense-oriented, with collective self-defense limited by domestic law. The three strategic documents revised in 2022 guide the fundamental reinforcement of defense capabilities in response to a severe security environment, without targeting any specific country.
Japan opposes opaque military expansion and unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force. It seeks to maintain an international order grounded in freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, promoting reconciliation over division.
Japanese diplomacy respects diversity and engages partners on equal footing. Under the multilateral trading system, Japan champions free trade and a rules-based economic order. It also supports developing countries through capacity-building and Official Development Assistance, aligned with human security and the Sustainable Development Goals.
FOIP at 10 is described as a living framework, not a static slogan, serving as a bridge from division to cooperation across the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and beyond.
Source: www.aljazeera.com