Japan and the ‘Counter-Pivot’

February 27, 2015 By Robert Dujarric * - The Diplomat

With the U.S. increasingly engaged elsewhere, should Japan do more for regional security itself?

The U.S. pivot (or rebalance) towards Asia is America’s “I’m back” moment and a warning to China (to paraphrase The Terminator’s “I’ll be back” message). For Japanese who fear Chinese expansionism it is a welcome development. But there is now a risk of a counter-pivot. A full-scale war with Russia is unlikely. But the invasion of Ukraine, combined with European disunity, vacillation, and weakness, ensures that Washington will focus more on NATO’s eastern borders in the coming months and probably years.

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* Robert Dujarric is Director, Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies, Temple University Japan, robertdujarric@gmail.com