澳门六合彩

Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and the 鈥淔ree and Open-Indo-Pacific鈥�

For sixty years, Japan and the United States have committed their close partnership to upholding 鈥渢he principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law,鈥� and to 鈥渢he maintenance of international peace and security in the Far East鈥濃�攃ommitments reflected most recently in the respective governments鈥� repeated calls for a 鈥淔ree and Open Indo-Pacific.鈥� Yet today, key aspects of China鈥檚 rapidly growing power and policies toward its neighbors are widely seen in Tokyo and Washington as posing significant and complex challenges to the allies鈥� shared vision of a liberal regional order. One issue of particular importance is Beijing鈥檚 increasingly hardline posture since 2016 vis-a-vis democratic Taiwan, which for decades has stood鈥攍iterally and figuratively鈥攁s a bastion of liberalism on the front lines of deepening U.S.-China strategic competition, and as a key partner for both Japan and the United States. As Beijing intensifies pressure on Taipei and maneuvers to further shrink Taiwan鈥檚 鈥渋nternational space,鈥� the policy responses of Tokyo and Washington are certain to be major determinants of both the region鈥檚 future evolution, and of Taiwan鈥檚 role within it.

Against the backdrop of worsening tensions across the Taiwan Strait, this project (1) examines democratic Taiwan鈥檚 importance to the United States鈥� and Japan鈥檚 shared vision for the region鈥檚 鈥渇ree and open鈥� future; (2) highlights recent developments in Japan-Taiwan relations; and (3) suggests policy options to bolster U.S.-Japan-Taiwan cooperation in pursuit of a positive regional agenda beyond strictly deterrence. It argues that the trajectory of Japan-Taiwan relations carries major implications for both U.S. regional strategy and Taiwan policy, and therefore warrants significantly greater attention in Washington than it typically receives. U.S.-Japan cooperation, or lack thereof, in this space will be a critical variable affecting both the region鈥檚鈥攁nd Taiwan鈥檚鈥攆uture. The study closes with a discussion of prospects for more extensive Japan-Taiwan cooperation and explores policy options, including ways to enhance U.S.-Japan coordination to facilitate the diversification of Taiwan鈥檚 economic linkages and to expand functional cooperation with the U.S., Japan, and other democratic partners.

Adam Liff

Adam P. Liff is an Associate Professor of East Asian International Relations at Indiana University鈥檚 Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, where he also serves as founding director of its 鈥�21st聽Century Japan Politics & Society Initiative鈥� (21JPSI). His research focuses on international security and the Asia-Pacific鈥攅specially Japanese and Chinese security policy; U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy; the U.S.-Japan alliance; and the rise of China. Beyond IU, Dr. Liff is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Associate-in-Research at Harvard University鈥檚 Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies and Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Politics from Princeton University, and a B.A. from Stanford University.