Japan’s policy towards Grey-Zone activities in the Indo-Pacific with Professor Kotani Tetsuo and Lynn Kuok

In the tenth episode of Japan Memo Season 3, Robert Ward and Yuka Koshino host Professor Kotani Tetsuo, a professor of global studies at Meikai University and a senior fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs; and Dr Lynn Kuok, Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Security at the IISS. 

Robert, Yuka, Tetsuo, and Lynn discuss Japan’s response towards expanding grey-zone situations in the Indo-Pacific region.

Topics discussed include: 

• The historical background of grey-zone activity and its definition. 
• The tactics and objectives of Chinese grey-zone activity in the East and the South China Seas. 
• Japan’s perspective and policy on Chinese grey-zone coercion in the Indo-Pacific region. 
• The issue facing Japan when dealing with Chinese grey-zone tactics. 
• The future possibilities of grey-zone escalation and the possible measures taken by regional and international organisations. 

The following literature is recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed: 

• Takahashi Sugio, Nippon de Gunji o Kataru To Iu Koto— Gunji Bunseki Nyūmon [Talking about the military in Japan: an introduction to military analysis] (CHUOKORON-SHINSHA, 2023) 

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice. 

Date of Recording: 06 October 2023 

Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. 

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