Japan and the Rise of the Global South: Can Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision Survive?

Abstract

As presidency of the G7 Hiroshima 2023 Summit convened in May 2023, Japan was required to address challenges faced by the G7 in 2023. This article focuses on Japan’s relationship with the group of emerging and developing countries called the “Global South.” Although some analysts question the utility of the term, use of it has become mainstream. At the G20 Summit in Delhi held in September 2023, the Global South continued to receive attention. Here and in subsequent meetings, Prime Minister Kishida introduced Japan’s new plan for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” together with political and diplomatic considerations that have been advancing Japan’s policy toward the Global South.

Notes

1 U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany, “Remarks to the Citizens in Mainz. President George Bush. Rheingoldhalle. Mainz, Federal Republic of Germany, May 31, 1989,” https://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/ga6-890531.htm. Also, speech by President George Bush in West Germany, 31 May 1989, in Lawrence Freedman (ed.), Europe Transformed: Documents on the End of the Cold War (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990) pp.289–294.

2 Martin Wolf, “The G7 must accept that it cannot run the world,” The Financial Times, May 24, 2023. https://www.ft.com/content/c8cf024d-87b7-4e18-8fa2-1b8a3f3fbba1

3 Hans Kundnani, “The Future of the Liberal International Order,” in Yuichi Hosoya and Hans Kundnani (eds.), The Transformation of the Liberal International Order: Evolutions and Limitations (Singapore: Springer, 2023) p.131.

4 Yuichi Hosoya, “Why Japan and the G7 must take notice of the Global South,” The Japan Times, April 13, 2023. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2023/04/13/commentary/japan-commentary/g7-global-south/

5 Fumio Kishida, “The Future of the Indo-Pacific: Japan’s New Plan for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’: ‘Together with India, as an Indispensable Partner,” March 20, 2023, New Delhi, India, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/100477739.pdf

6 Stewart Patrick and Alexandra Huggins, “The Term ‘Global South’ Is Surging. It Should Be Retired,” August 15, 2023, Commentary, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/08/15/term-global-south-is-surging.-it-should-be-retired-pub-90376

7 Ibid.

8 Ibid.

9 David Rising, “Everyone’s talking about the Global South. But What is it?”, The Associated Press, September 7, 2023. https://apnews.com/article/what-is-global-south-19fa68cf8c60061e88d69f6f2270d98b

10 Joseph S. Nye, Jr., “What is the Global South?,” November 1, 2023, Project Syndicate. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/global-south-is-a-misleading-term-by-joseph-s-nye-2023-11?barrier=accesspaylog

11 Ibid.

12 Ibid.

13 Toru Ito, “India has Started to Emphasize the ‘Global South,’” February 27, 2023, International Information Network Analysis, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation. https://www.spf.org/iina/en/articles/toru_ito_05.html

14 Seema Guha, “Energising India’s Constituency Of The Global South,” Outlook, January 13, 2023. https://www.outlookindia.com/national/energising-india-s-constituency-of-the-global-south-news-253477

15 Ministry of External Affairs, “The Voice of Global South Summit 2023: Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose,” the Government of India. https://www.mea.gov.in/voice-of-global-summit.htm. Accessed on January 10, 2024.

16 Ibid.

17 Speech by Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio, “Japan’s decisions at history’s turning point,” 13 January 2023, Washington, D.C., Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/100446121.pdf

18 Ibid.

19 Ibid.

20 Ibid.

21 Rieko Miki, “Japan boosts Global South ties with eye on China and Russia,” January 27, 2023, in Nikkei Asia. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Japan-boosts-Global-South-ties-with-eye-on-China-and-Russia

22 “Policy Speech by Prime KISHIDA Minister Fumio to the 211th Session of the Diet,” January 23, 2023, Prime Minister’s Office of Japan. https://japan.kantei.go.jp/101_kishida/statement/202301/_00012.html

23 Hiroyuki Suzuki, “Japan must take its Global South vision forward in 2024,” in Nikkei Asia, January 5, 2024. https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Japan-must-take-its-Global-South-vision-forward-in-2024

24 Ibid.

25 Message by Prime Minister Kishida, “Toward a Successful G7 Hiroshima Summit, For a Better Future for Japan and the World,” G7 Hiroshima 2023, January 4, 2023. https://www.g7hiroshima.go.jp/en/summit/message/

26 “Editorial: Use Hiroshima summit as foundation for cooperation between G7, Global South,” The Mainichi, May 23, 2023. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230523/p2a/00m/0op/011000c

27 “Kishida Affirms Partnerships with Global South Leaders,” The Japan News, May 20, 2023. https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/g7-summit/20230520-110860/

28 “G7 Hiroshima communique will not use term ‘Global South’” The Japan Times, May 13, 2023.

29 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, “Japan-India Summit Meeting, March 20, 2023. https://www.mofa.go.jp/s_sa/sw/in/page1e_000587.html

30 Policy Speech by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, “New Plan for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific,’” March 20, 2023, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. https://www.mofa.go.jp/fp/pc/page1e_000586.html

31 On the evolution of Japan’s FOIP vision, see Yuichi Hosoya, “FOIP 2.0: The Evolution of Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy,” Asia-Pacific Review, Vol.26, No.1 (2019) pp.18-28; and also Nicholas Szechenyi and Yuichi Hosoya, “Working Toward a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, October 2019. https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/10/10/working-toward-free-and-open-indo-pacific-pub-80023

32 Ibid.

33 Keynote Address by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the Shangri La Dialogue, Singapore, June 10, 2022, Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Japan. https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/100356160.pdf

34 Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Remarks at the Meeting to Promote Cooperation with Global South Countries, October 17, 2023, Prime Minister’s Office. https://japan.kantei.go.jp/101_kishida/actions/202310/17globalsouth.html

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Hosoya Yuichi

Hosoya Yuichi is professor of International Politics at Keio University, Tokyo, and Senior Fellow at Nakasone Peace Institute (NPI). He is also Director of Keio Center for Strategy, and the Director of Research at the Asia-Pacific Initiative (API), Tokyo. Professor Hosoya was a member of Prime Minister's Advisory Panel on Reconstruction of the Legal Basis for Security (2013–14), and Prime Minister's Advisory Panel on National Security and Defense Capabilities (2013). He studied international politics at Rikkyo (BA), Birmingham (MIS), and Keio (Ph.D.). He was a visiting professor and Japan Chair (2009–2010) at Sciences-Po in Paris (Institut d'Études Politiques), a visiting fellow (Fulbright Fellow, 2008–2009) at Princeton University and Visiting Fellow at Downing College, the University of Cambridge (2021–2022). His research interests include the postwar international history, British diplomatic history, Japanese foreign and security policy. His recent publications include Security Politics: Legislation for a New Security Environment (Tokyo: JPIC, 2019); History, Memory & Politics in Postwar Japan (Co-editor, Lynne Rienner: Boulder, 2020); Modern Japan's Place in the World (Co-editor; Springer, 2023); and The Transformation of the Liberal International Order: Evolutions and Limitations (Co-editor; Springer, 2023).