Japan must disavow pacifism and embrace collective defense

The question of how to respond to China’s enormous growth and increasing assertiveness is leading countries across the Indo-Pacific to grapple with uncomfortable — even previously unimaginable — policy changes. Nowhere is this more true than in Japan. Most importantly, Japan must change its attitude toward military statecraft. West Germany’s postwar experience — its need to balance against the grave threat it faced in a responsible way — provides a valuable model.

Nikkei Asia