A rapid deterioration in Japan’s security environment may push Tokyo into boosting military spending and strength

A flotilla of 10 Chinese and Russian warships nearly completed a circle around Japan’s main island of Honshu during the first joint China-Russia patrol in the Western Pacific last month. This deployment came after the two countries completed a joint naval exercise in waters near Russia’s Peter the Great Gulf. Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi noted: “This is the first time we have confirmed