What place should Japan occupy in the world? This existential question has troubled Japan's leaders for the past two decades. Military leadership is restricted by the Constitution. Economic might has lost its glimmer. Cultural influence, epitomized by "cool Japan," has yet to take center stage.
So whither goes Japan? The answer does not lie in the aforementioned "projecting out" of Japan's military, economic or cultural strengths. The world does not need another global power to project its strength. What it needs is solutions to intractable global issues. Japan as the catalyst for solving global issues — this is the vision that Japan should aspire to.
At the 2008 Toyako Group of Eight Summit, Japan proposed addressing the following global issues: global economy; climate change; African development; and global health. Much has been talked about the global economy, climate change and Africa. There is work to be done, and Japan should contribute. Yet, Japan's strengths in global health are less known. For leaders in Japan, the neglect is an opportunity missed for Japan to play a pivotal leadership role in the global arena.