by Peter Zeihan on March 29, 2023

As Japan prepares for the G7 Summit, the topic on everyone’s mind is the Ukraine War. By providing aid to the Ukrainians, the Japanese have given us a glimpse into how far the country has come and how they strategically positioned themselves for the years to come.

To appreciate how significant this is, we must look back on the overwhelmingly nationalistic history of Japan. The geographic separation of the country has always necessitated a robust naval presence, which naturally lent itself to rapid technological advancement and the development of a superiority complex. Conquering China and Taiwan and the attack on Pearl Harbor are just a few examples of this in practice.

Fast forward to the 90s and a financial crisis struck Japan, amplified by urbanization-induced demographic decline. Those nationalistic tendencies began to fade, and by the late 2010s, a new Japan was born.

The Japanese now realized how important it was to develop a strong relationship with the United States. By signing a (rather humiliating) trade deal while Trump was in office, they signaled to everyone that they understood where the world was headed. As other countries began to back away from their trade deals once Biden entered office, the Japanese doubled down.

Ten years ago, we would likely have seen the Japanese remain neutral in conflicts similar to the Ukraine War. Today, Japan’s support for Ukraine is just one example of how vital it is to understand deglobalization and the increase in global conflict.

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