Are you interested in “The 2022 National Security Policy Shift and its Impact on Japan’s Indo-Pacific Strategy“❓

In late 2022, the Japanese government significantly revised Japan’s National Security Strategy and two other critical documents, introducing a major overhaul to its security policy. This included a substantial increase in the country’s defense budget and the acquisition of a counter-strike capability. How has this impacted Japan’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific? In this interview, Benoit Hardy-Chartrand from the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at Temple University Japan provides a nuanced perspective on this question. 

Benoit Hardy-Chartrand is a Faculty Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at Temple University Japan, in Tokyo, where he teaches various courses on international politics and security. He is also an Associate Researcher at the Raoul-Dandurand Chair of Strategic and Diplomatic Studies in Montreal. His research interests and expertise include East Asian geopolitics and security issues, with a particular focus on China-Japan relations and Japanese foreign policy. His work has been featured in numerous publications, and he has provided analysis on East Asian affairs for media outlets such as the BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, CBC, South China Morning Post, Japan Times, and ABC News. 

This interview with Benoit Hardy-Chartrand is the fourth in a series exploring the Indo-Pacific strategies of various actors in Asia and the West. The series is presented in cooperation with the Montreal Centre for International Studies (CÉRIUM), University of Montreal, the Asian Studies Centre (CETASE), University of Montreal, and the Institute for Research on Contemporary Southeast Asia (IRASEC).