At first glance, Japan would not be a country that initially comes to mind in a coalition to build a lasting peace in the Middle East, especially in 2024.
Yet Japan enters the Year of the Dragon as perhaps the most intriguing opportunity to link the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East in a way that benefits everyone.
Japan is an Indo-Pacific power, a technology superpower and the third-largest economy in the world. Yet, despite its significant energy relationships with Middle East fossil-fuel exporters and growing technology investments in Israel, Japan has never played a major role participating in or brokering strategic discussions in the region. Yet 2024 could be different as everyone looks for off-ramps from the current conflict in the Middle East and with elections looming in America, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, to name just a few.