Japan’s Significance for the United Kingdom’s Shaping Ambitions in the Indo-Pacific

Abstract

The United Kingdom’s Indo-Pacific “tilt” has been warmly encouraged by Japan, its closest security partner in Asia. As UK-Japan strategic alignment evolves, the security and defence documents of both partners appear to also converge around a desire to “create” or “shape” a desirable regional environment. This paper illustrates how states may do so, using Japan and the UK as case studies. It investigates the theoretical premise and policy instruments available, before assessing opportunities and constraints.