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Challenges of Deploying Ground-Based Intermediate-Range Missiles on Allied Lands
The United States has been hoping to develop and deploy ground-based intermediate-range missiles to the Indo-Pacific. But what is the likelihood of its treaty allies in the region—Australia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand—hosting these systems? Are there alternatives to permanent basing?
Apr 28, 2022
Commentary
Japan's New Security Policies: A Long Road to Full Implementation
The historic ambition contained within Japan's new defense strategies is notable. But the reality is that an extraordinary alignment of political, economic, fiscal, and other stars will be necessary for Japan's government to fully implement their stated ambitions over the next five to ten years.
Mar 27, 2023

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Research Brief
How Could the United States Gain Greater Access to Asia During a Conflict?
Ensuring access to the territories of Indo-Pacific allies and partners in the event of a future conflict with China is a critical concern. How are Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and India likely to make access decisions? And can the United States influence their decisions?
Nov 28, 2023
Report
Improving Conflict-Phase Access: Identifying U.S. Policy Levers
This report explores how U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific are likely to respond to military access requests in the event of a conflict with China and what policy levers the United States might use in peacetime to affect those responses.
Nov 28, 2023
Journal Article
A Comparative Look at Various Countries' Legal Regimes Governing Automated Vehicles
This article summarizes the makeup of AV legal regimes of Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom, with a focus on law and policy relating to highly to fully automated vehicles.
Nov 27, 2023
Commentary
South Korea's Surprisingly Successful China Policy
When South Korea's president, Yoon Suk-yeol, entered office last year, the odds rose that a frostier bilateral relationship with China might take hold. But for now, at least, Yoon and his government have successfully managed China, and perhaps offered a road map for how others can too.
Nov 27, 2023
Report
An Assessment of U.S.-Allied Nations' Industrial Bases in Quantum Technology
The authors assess the quantum industrial bases of several U.S.-allied nations that are major players in the development of quantum technology, beginning with a global look and then focusing on Australia, the UK, Germany, and Japan.
Nov 16, 2023
Commentary
Japan's Play for Today: Too Much? Just Right? Or Never Enough?
Japan is pushing ahead on a broad array of initiatives meant to strengthen the Self-Defense Forces' deterrent power across multiple domains. But there are bound to be limits in manpower, resources, capacity, or capabilities that will place limits on what the end point of Japan's buildup ultimately looks like.
Oct 31, 2023
Commentary
Japan Risks Reputation in Oceania with Fukushima Discharge
Japan's decision last month to begin discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean from its destroyed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is fairly unpopular in Oceania, potentially damaging Tokyo's reputation in this increasingly strategic region.
Sep 28, 2023
Commentary
Separate U.S. Alliances in East Asia Are Obsolete
Washington manages its alliances with Tokyo and Seoul separately. But growing South Korean and Japanese military capabilities make a conversation about more integration unavoidable.
Sep 14, 2023
Blog
The State of Public Education, the Opioid Crisis, Defending Taiwan: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the state of public education in America right now, a missing piece of the strategy for addressing the opioid crisis, emerging technology that could help defend Taiwan, and more.
Sep 1, 2023
Report
A Framework of Deterrence in Space Operations
This report presents a framework on the nature and requirements of deterrence in space operations . Drawing on lessons from nuclear and cyber and selected national approaches to space deterrence, it presents three archetypes for space deterrence.
Aug 31, 2023
Commentary
A Trilateral Summit to Deal with Trilateral Threats
The leaders of Japan, South Korea, and the United States held a trilateral summit in August, focused on countering military threats in East Asia. Not surprisingly, China and North Korea were upset by the summit, designed as it was to respond to their military build-ups.
Aug 29, 2023
Report
A Brief Overview of Emerging Vaccine Technologies for Pandemic Preparedness
This report characterizes trends and strategic implications associated with pandemic preparedness in the United States, China, and Russia, focusing on vaccine technologies, broad-spectrum medical countermeasures, and immunization facilitation.
Aug 17, 2023
Report
How to Reverse the Erosion of U.S. and Allied Military Power and Influence
Sustained, coordinated efforts by the United States and its allies are necessary to deter and defeat modern threats, including those posed by Russia and China. What gaps do U.S. and allied forces have to fill to successfully meet this challenge?
Jul 25, 2023
Report
How Would U.S. Allies View Changes in Washington's Relationship with Taiwan?
The debate in Washington over Taiwan often overlooks a crucial question: How would America's regional allies respond to possible changes in U.S. policy toward the island? Researchers explored the perspectives of Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
Jul 20, 2023
Journal Article
Six Lessons from Ukraine for Japanese Defense Planners
Japanese leaders have already begun internalizing key lessons from Ukraine. Researcher Jeffrey Hornung considers the war in Ukraine from the perspective of a Japanese decisionmaker.
Jun 27, 2023
Commentary
Six Different Ways: Ukraine Lessons for Japanese Defense Planners
Japanese leaders have already begun internalizing key lessons from Ukraine. But Japanese officials are silent on whether they are preparing for a short conflict or a long one. This matters because, as the Ukrainian war demonstrates, a protracted struggle could require different plans from the ones Japan is possibly making.
Jun 23, 2023
Multimedia
The View of the Taiwan Strait from the U.S.-Japan Alliance
An October 2022 event gathered experts to examine the view of the Taiwan strait from the U.S.-Japan alliance. Presenters considered the Taiwan strait issue from the perspectives of the United States and Japan.
Mar 15, 2023
Blog
State of the Union, Mental Health First Aid, China's Spy Balloon: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on President Biden's State of the Union address, the benefits of mental health first aid training, insights on China’s spy balloon, and more.
Feb 10, 2023
Commentary
Japan's Long-Awaited Return to Geopolitics
In very short order, Japan moved to change decades of strategic thinking and embark on a new approach to security. The stark reality of geopolitics and the realization that what was once hypothetical is now possible were likely enough to convince Japan that the time for a new approach to its security is now.
Feb 6, 2023

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Naoko Aoki

Associate Political Scientist

Naoko Aoki is an associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation. She specializes in East Asian security issues. She has written about Japanese foreign and security policies, the North Korean nuclear problem, American alliances in Asia, and nuclear dynamics in the region. Prior to joining…
Joshua Breslau

Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist

Joshua Breslau is a senior behavioral and social scientist at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His work focuses on social and cultural influences on psychiatric disorders and their treatment. An anthropologist and epidemiologist with over two decades of…

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