Japan has navigated 2019 with adroitness despite geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, a United States as partner that has become more volatile at the leadership level and lingering social challenges that will take a generation to resolve.
On the security front, North Korea and China have been at the forefront of Japan's challenges in the region. Underlying those long-standing concerns, though, is how the U.S. is behaving and assailing the post-World War II international order in which Japan has prospered.
Denuclearization negotiations have stalled following the Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang has responded by returning to testing a plethora of missile and engine systems. These tests strongly suggest that it is refining its projection capabilities and associated technologies to retain an effective strategic nuclear deterrent. This includes an assortment of conventional weapons to deter any kind of pre-emptive strike to decapitate the regime.