The Hudson Institute, a well-known think tank in the United States, recently featured a commentary by Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected president of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, titled "The Future of Japan’s Foreign Policy." In his piece, Ishiba addressed the need for a reevaluation of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, advocating for a revision of this critical bilateral agreement, which he described as asymmetric.
Ishiba's submission to the Hudson Institute, reportedly made before the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election, also highlighted the necessity of revising the Status of Forces Agreement concerning the presence of U.S. troops in Japan. He proposed an intriguing idea of stationing Japan's Self-Defense Forces in Guam, envisioning a scenario where an agreement akin to the one for U.S. forces in Japan could be created for the SDF in Guam.
Moreover, Ishiba's commentary broached the concept of establishing an Asian NATO as a means of enhancing regional security. He called for a consideration of American nuclear weapons sharing or potential introduction of such weapons in the region within the context of this Asian version of NATO, stressing the importance of addressing this aspect as part of future strategic discussions. The Hudson Institute identified Ishiba as "the next prime minister of Japan," further underscoring the significance of his perspectives on Japan's evolving foreign policy landscape.