FOIP upgrade reveals Japan's expansionist drift

Editor's note: Cao Cong, a special commentator for CGTN, is a doctoral candidate at the School of Global and Regional Studies, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi began a three-day visit to Vietnam on May 1. On the second day of the trip, she delivered a speech at a university in Hanoi, announcing an upgrade to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) initiative and outlining three priority areas: strengthening supply chains for energy and critical minerals, co-creation of economic growth opportunities through public-private collaboration and rule sharing, and enhancing security cooperation.

This reflects the fact that, through its carefully crafted rhetoric and under the banner of "free and open," Japan is accelerating its military expansion, thereby exposing dangerous tendencies toward a resurgence of militarism and attempts to undermine the post–World War II (WWII) international order. Historically, Japan's post-war economic growth was made possible by the peaceful and stable environment established after WWII. At the same time, its pacifist constitution served as an institutional constraint on its militarist past.

In recent years, however, Japan's security policy has steadily pushed beyond established boundaries – from lifting restrictions on collective self-defense and increasing defense spending, to deploying long-range strike capabilities, allowing the export of lethal weapons, seeking to revise its pacifist constitution, and attempting to break the long-held Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

With the latest FOIP upgrade serving as a key marker, Japan is now seeking to expand its strategic footprint across the entire "Indo-Pacific" region. Its policy trajectory has clearly moved away from the long-standing principle of an exclusively defense-oriented posture.

The "supply chain resilience" highlighted in Takaichi's speech is, in essence, a reconfiguration of the regional economic landscape within the framework of geopolitical competition. By focusing on energy and critical minerals, Japan aims to integrate Southeast Asian countries into its own supply networks through financial assistance and industrial cooperation. While presented as a means to promote shared regional prosperity, these initiatives primarily serve Japan's own economic security and strategic competition goals, carrying clear elements of exclusivity and bloc-based alignment.

Equally noteworthy is Japan's proposed "the FOIP Digital Corridor Concept" in the fields of technology and digital development. On the surface, the initiative aims to secure a leading position in the next wave of technological competition by centering on communications infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation. In practice, however, this initiative is not merely about technological collaboration; it is closely tied to Japan's broader geopolitical strategy. By controlling data channels and technical standards, Japan is attempting to build a new sphere of influence in the digital era, one with significant underlying security and political implications.

Japan is also seeking to assert greater influence over regional rule-making. By calling for responses to "market distortions" and "economic coercion," and by promoting "rule sharing," it reveals a clear intention to export its values and compete within institutional frameworks.

Japan is seeking to align with so-called like-minded countries to establish exclusive rules in areas such as trade, the digital economy, and supply chains, thereby weakening the universality and inclusiveness of existing multilateral mechanisms. Such actions risk undermining the international system centered on the United Nations and running counter to the fundamental principles of openness and cooperation.

Even more concerning is Japan's growing emphasis on security cooperation. During her speech, Takaichi repeatedly highlighted issues such as "maritime security" and "sea lane security," and proposed providing military and quasi-military support through Official Development Assistance and Official Security Assistance. This bundling of economic aid with security objectives effectively expands Japan's military influence under another guise, laying the groundwork for its overseas military expansion. In sensitive areas such as the South China Sea, Japan has repeatedly amplified tensions – actions that not only fail to contribute to regional peace but instead heighten the risk of confrontation.

From the introduction of FOIP in 2016 by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to its current upgrade, Japan is accelerating its shift from an economic power to a more assertive political and military power. At the same time, right-leaning historical narratives within Japan are becoming increasingly visible, with some politicians downplaying wartime aggression and whitewashing Japan's colonial past. This combination of historical revisionism and strategic expansion casts a shadow over Japan's future path.

Many Asian countries suffered deeply under Japanese militarist aggression, and their vigilance regarding Japan's evolving security posture is grounded in painful historical memories. Today, Japan's increasingly assertive actions in both security and diplomacy have not only revived historical memories but also raised serious concerns about its future direction. If Japan continues to push beyond constraints under the banner of "free and open," regional peace and stability will face growing uncertainty.

After all, Japan's calls for a "free and open" regional order ring hollow when its leader readily kneels before the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier during her recent visit to Australia, while long-standing historical grievances with neighboring Asian countries still remain far from adequately addressed.

Peace and development have been hard-won. Any actions that run counter to the course of history will inevitably provoke resistance from regional countries and the broader international community. Japan should earnestly reflect on the lessons of history, adhere to the path of peaceful development, refrain from advancing strategic expansion under the guise of concepts, and avoid dividing regional cooperation through bloc confrontation.

Only by truly upholding peace as the foundation and cooperation as the guiding principle can Japan earn its neighbors' trust and make meaningful contributions to regional stability.

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