Japan as a Maritime Great Power and the China Challenge

In his new book Leaning Seaward, Geoffrey Gresh argues Japan ranks among the world’s most significant maritime great powers and serves as an important counterweight economically, technologically, diplomatically, and militarily to the United States and China, according to the CSIS event description. The discussion covers how China’s growing influence across the maritime domain has driven Japan’s expanding orientation over the past two decades, creating challenges not only for Japan’s maritime security in the form of gray zone conflict, but also for commercial activities such as shipbuilding, where the United States has also recently launched initiatives to attempt to reclaim its own maritime dominance from China.

The conversation, hosted by the CSIS Japan Chair program, features Kristi Govella, Geoffrey Gresh, and Brian Hart examining Japan’s evolution as a maritime power, the challenges it faces from China, and the potential for U.S.-Japan cooperation.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)