Originally published 8 December 2021. In this episode, Veerle is joined by Dr Michito Tsuruoka, Associate Professor at Keio University in Japan to explore Japan’s reaction to the announcement of AUKUS, what this means for Japan’s immediate security environment, and how it fits into the regional security architecture. Tokyo will need to think critically what role it has to play in the Indo-Pacific’s defence and security landscape: will Japan be a passive participant or will it assume a more active role, on par with its closest strategic partners? Tokyo will need to overcome current legal, bureaucratic, and political hurdles .