Japan and the new Indo-Pacific order: the rise of an entrepreneurial power

Abstract

This article revisits the conceptualisation of (regional) order in International Relations (IR) theory to illuminate key aspects of Japan’s order-building role in the Indo-Pacific. The framework is based upon a multi-dimensional understanding of regional order-building allowing for an examination of Japan’s vision for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ (FOIP) policy ‘vision’, the challenges it faces as a secondary power, and its conduct as an emerging entrepreneurial power in the Indo-Pacific. The article’s central argument is that Japan’s order-building should be understood in the context of the country’s deeper strategic situation and, in particular, its position as a secondary, but still highly influential, power. This has implications for understanding Japan’s approach to international order and how it might deploy norm entrepreneurship in shaping the new Indo-Pacific order.

Keywords:

• Japan
• free and open Indo-Pacific
• FOIP
• entrepreneurial power

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr Thomas Wilkins is a Senior Lecturer in International Security at the Department of Government and International Relations (GIR) at the University of Sydney and a Senior Fellow (non-resident) at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). He is widely published in journals such as The Pacific Review, Pacific Affairs and Asian Security. His latest monograph – Security in Asia-Pacific: The Dynamics of Alignment – is published with Lynne Rienner Press. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions with which he is affiliated.

Dr H. D. P. (David) Envall is a Fellow / Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Relations at ANU. He is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at La Trobe University. In addition to having worked as a copy editor and corporate editor/writer, David has formerly held appointments at Tokyo International University and La Trobe University. David has a BA (Hons) from the University of Melbourne, an MA from Hitotsubashi University, and a PhD from the University of Melbourne. His research interests include Japanese political leadership, Japan’s post-war security politics, and security in the Asia-Pacific. He has published numerous chapters in edited volumes, articles in journals such as International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Survival, Asian Security, and the Australian Journal of International Affairs, as well as a monograph on the role of leadership in Japanese diplomacy with SUNY Press.