Japan's smart power strategy and securing the US-led order

What is Japan's strategy to secure the US-led order from the heightened China challenge? This article argues that Japan is pursuing a smart power strategy made up of two complementary strands. The first is the use of hard power resources, involving internal and external balancing measures, to assist the US and other partners and friends to secure the region's balance of power in favour of the US-led order. The second strand refers Japan's use of soft power resources to reinforce the multilateral orders in East Asia and the Indo-Pacific regions in support of the US-led order. It focuses on the promotion of norms that advocate for a regional rules-based order outlined in the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy/vision. The article concludes that the smart power strategy has been successful in facilitating Japan's objective of securing the US-led order given its internal constraints and unique position between the US and China.