This research is conducted during my sabbatical at Stanford University in the United States. I have made substantial progress in advancing a multi-layered research project that examines Japan’s evolving policy calculus regarding a potential Taiwan contingency. This work situates Japan’s policy debates within broader shifts in regional power dynamics, alliance politics, and domestic political narratives.

1. Strengthened Scholarly Engagement and Public Dissemination

A major milestone was my invited public lecture on Japan–Taiwan Relations delivered on May 27, 2025, at Stanford University’s Japan Program under the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC). This event significantly enhanced the visibility of my research and facilitated high-level exchanges with leading U.S. experts on Indo-Pacific security. Discussions following the lecture yielded valuable feedback, particularly regarding Japan’s legal and political thresholds for invoking collective self-defense and how these debates are being reshaped under the current administration. These interactions have deepened my analytical framework and strengthened the international relevance of my research output.

2. Consolidated Research Outputs

Drawing on these engagements, I am in the process of finalizing two major outputs: 1) A scholarly article analyzing the legal, political, and military components of Japan’s potential response options in a Taiwan contingency with new cases in 2025, incorporating insights gained from policy practitioners and U.S.-based specialists. 2) A policy-oriented paper assessing how Japan’s alliance coordination with the United States is evolving, and what this implies for regional stability.

Together, these developments mark a significant step forward in research agenda based on this funding and contribute to a deeper, more internationally grounded understanding of Japan’s approach to cross-strait security challenges.