When Fumio Kishida became prime minister, some questioned how this traditionally center-left politician would approach security issues. Would he put them on the back burner as he focused on economic and domestic policies? Would he step aside and let his home Liberal Democratic Party dictate defense matters?
Whatever the concerns may have been when he took office, Kishida has leaned forward on defense issues these past few weeks.
Despite the looming Upper House election and his own economics-focused agenda, Kishida has personally endorsed some bold moves in the security realm since taking office. Most notably, these have come with the supplemental budget, his position towards so-called strike capabilities, a recent decision on the evacuation of Japanese citizens in Ethiopia and his pursuit of a longer-term evolution of Japan’s security strategy.