Japan Is Stepping Up as Asia’s New Powerbroker

The US would have you believe it is showing leadership in Asia. Yet the nation displaying real resolve is Japan. Standing up to China over its rapidly expanding military strength is what the Indo-Pacific wants to hear from Washington. Instead, it was left to Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to do that when he took the stage at Asia’s premier security forum on Sunday. He offered a vision for the Indo-Pacific that was more candid and ambitious than his American counterpart the day before.