ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to shed light on one of the Abe administration’s chief foreign policy initiatives—namely, the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (hereafter FOIP) concept, officially unveiled in 2016. Whilst the FOIP is talked up as one of the most important organizing ideas in Japan’s contemporary foreign policy, in actuality there has been very little consensus about it aims, let alone the concomitant measures Tokyo might employ to realize its desired outcomes. Through a close reading of government policy statements and recent analysis by Japanese experts, we argue it is now possible to infer with greater accuracy than before the FOIP’s main goals, how it fits in with Japan’s evolving foreign and national security posture, and how it relates to Tokyo’s relationship with Beijing.
