The global landscape is undergoing its most profound structural transformation since the end of the Second World War. Amidst shifts in the balance of power and an escalation of conflicts, the international order, founded on the rule of law, faces significant challenges, particularly across the Indo-Pacific. Concurrently, the Global South is asserting its growing influence and playing an increasingly vital role in international affairs.
The Evolution of FOIP
Ten years ago, former Prime Minister Abe introduced the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). This initiative was rooted in the understanding that the Indo-Pacific would become the epicenter of global development, and that fostering a free and open environment in this region, including enhanced connectivity, would contribute to worldwide progress. Today, Japan is strategically evolving FOIP to address the new challenges and changes of the past decade. Issues like economic security and the establishment of resilient supply chains have become paramount for many nations, alongside essential support for capacity building, particularly in areas such as maritime security.
While adapting to contemporary realities, FOIP’s fundamental principles remain steadfast: upholding freedom, the rule of law, and respecting diversity, inclusiveness, and openness. Japan is committed to proactively fulfilling its international responsibilities through a broad spectrum of initiatives tailored to current global needs.
Ensuring Stability in Strategic Waterways
In this context, Japan emphasizes the critical importance of ensuring the free and safe navigation of vessels of all nations through the Strait of Hormuz. Restoring stability in this strategic chokepoint, vital for global logistics and considered an international public good, is an urgent priority. Japan joined a joint statement to this effect on March 19, 2026, and is actively strengthening cooperation with relevant countries and organizations, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Japan will continue its close collaboration with the international community, committed to taking all possible measures within its capacity.
Japan and its partners across the Middle East have significantly deepened their relations, operating as trusted, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking collaborators. Building on this strong foundation, efforts will continue to advance cooperation that contributes to regional stability and shared prosperity.
Japan’s Enduring Commitment to Peace and Security
Since the end of the war, Japan has consistently championed peace and prosperity within the international community. Its unwavering stance—adhering to international law, including the UN Charter, and working to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law—is well-established. Japan maintains an exclusively national defense-oriented policy as its fundamental defense posture, with domestic law limiting the exercise of the right of collective self-defense as recognized under the UN Charter.
Japan’s security policy is guided by three key documents: the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the Defense Buildup Program (collectively, the Three Strategic Documents). Since their revision in 2022, the security environment has rapidly transformed across multiple domains, with nations preparing for new forms of warfare, including the mass deployment of unmanned systems and the prospect of protracted conflicts. In response to the most severe and complex post-war security environment, Japan is undertaking a fundamental reinforcement of its defense capabilities, a measure not aimed at any specific country.
Global Cooperation for a Stable Future
With global challenges accumulating, an era demanding unprecedented cooperation has arrived. Japan firmly opposes opaque expansions of military capabilities and unilateral attempts to alter the status quo through force or coercion. At this pivotal historical juncture, securing the peace, safety, and prosperity of nations and peoples, alongside maintaining and strengthening an international order grounded in values like freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, is paramount. To achieve this, Japan, in collaboration with partners in the Middle East and beyond, has pursued and will continue to pursue diplomacy that guides the world away from division and confrontation towards reconciliation and cooperation.
Japan’s diplomatic approach respects the diversity of all nations, engaging with partners on an equal footing to address shared challenges and provide finely tuned, demand-driven support. Within the multilateral trading system, Japan has advocated for free trade and promoted a rules-based, free, and fair international economic order. Simultaneously, guided by the concept of human security, Japan has supported developing countries through capacity-building cooperation and worked towards solving global issues such as the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Japan has also actively contributed to nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and international peacebuilding. As the world navigates this historical turning point, Japan will maintain this diplomatic stance in close cooperation with its partners in the Middle East.
The Future of FOIP: A Bridge to Cooperation
Moving forward, FOIP will advance in partnership with the Middle East through practical cooperation, focusing on strengthening resilient supply chains, enhancing maritime security and safe sea lanes, improving high-quality connectivity, and supporting human-centered development, all aligned with local priorities. Japan will continue to promote investment, offer tailored capacity-building support, and provide official development assistance (ODA) to foster a free, open, and inclusive regional environment.
FOIP at 10 is not merely a static slogan; it is a dynamic framework dedicated to maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law. It serves as a vital bridge from division and confrontation to reconciliation and cooperation, spanning the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and beyond.
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