New challenges for Japan's foreign and security policy Wilhelm M. Vosse is Professor, Political Science and International Relations at the International Christian University, Tokyo

New challenges for Japan's foreign and security policy
For at least two decades, the Japanese Defense Ministry has argued that the security environment around Japan has become more severe. In response, Japan adjusted its security strategies, moderately modernized its military infrastructure, built closer ties to new security partners, and further intensified and deepened its ties to its only security guarantor, the United States. This lecture will take a critical look at these changes in foreign and security policy with a focus on the continuing domestic social, political, economic, and technological challenges Japan faces in 2026 and beyond.

Wilhelm M. Vosse is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, Japan, where he also served as Chair of the Department of Politics and International Studies and Director of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI). He held visiting research positions at Harvard University, the University of Oxford, and The University of Warwick. His research interests include Japanese foreign and security policy, EU-Japan security relations, cybersecurity, and cyber diplomacy. He was the academic coordinator and ICU lead on an ERASMUS+ Jean Monnet Network on European Cyberdiplomacy, funded by the European Commission (2020 – 2024). Recent books include “Governing Insecurity in Japan. The Domestic Discourse and Policy Response” (Routledge, 2014), “Japan's New Security Partnerships” (Manchester University Press, 2018), “New Directions in Japan's Security: Non-U.S. Centric Evolution” (Routledge, 2020), and the “The Palgrave Handbook on Cyber Diplomacy” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025)