Japan and foreign policy

"Japan is back”! The words of late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in 2013 captured the beginning of a new era in Japan’s foreign and security policy. 

Long defined by its postwar pacifism and attachment to ‘check-book diplomacy’, Japan embraced a proactive security and defence posture, adjusting its national security apparatus, deepening alliances, and expanding partnerships, to emerge as a leading actor on the evolving Indo-Pacific strategic landscape. 

In this lecture Dr Eva Pejsova will discuss Japan’s security transition over the past decade, addressing the underlying geopolitical context, the complex external and internal dynamic and institutional challenges, as well as its implications for regional and global stability.

Dr Eva Pejsova holds the Japan Chair at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) of the Brussels School of Governance (BSoG). 

This lecture is one of four in the spring of 2026.

February 20th  Japan and foreign policy

March 26th      Japan and football

April 23rd        Japan and demography (an ageing society)

May 28th        Japan and democracy (its media landscape)

The lectures are in english.

This event is organized by Japan Studies within the Global Studies program, in partnership with Det Udenrigspolitiske Selskab Aarhus and in collaboration with Dokk1. It is part of a lecture series on Japan, made possible through the generous support of the Sasakawa Foundation.