Welcome to Issues in Japan.
This time I would like to share the insights of Mr. Yasushi Tomiyama, Planning Committee Member and Research Fellow, Japan Institute for National Fundamentals.
His theme is: Prepare for the U.S. "Focus on Asia" Review.
With his military invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has demonstrated by his actions that he will not hesitate to use force to destroy the post-Cold War order in Europe.
As long as Mr. Putin remains Russia's dictator, the United States will be forced to focus more on the security of its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies in Europe.
At least during the remaining three years of the Biden administration, the "Asia-oriented" policy aimed at dealing with a rising China may be forced to be modified.
The invasion of Ukraine led to the second Cold War.
More than 30 years after the end of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the U.S. and Europe saw the start of a "second Cold War" or "new Cold War" with Russia, the successor state of the Soviet Union.
Germany was quick to react to the drastic change in the European situation, announcing a major shift in its postwar defense policy, which had been reluctant to contribute militarily, raising defense spending to more than 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) in line with NATO targets and providing arms to Ukraine, which had been hesitant to do so in the past.
For more information please visit the following:
https://youtu.be/E1IFk7zscV0
