145: The sword, the shield and the new face of Japan's military

<div>As 2022 wrapped up, the Japanese government let forth a flurry of defense policy announcements. Those were followed by a five-nation tour by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and talk of a tax hike to pay for it all. <strong>Gabriel Dominguez</strong> joins the podcast this week to try to help us make sense of it all. <br> <br> Hosted by <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/int-jason_jenkins/">Jason Jenkins</a> and produced by <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/david-cortez/">Dave Cortez</a>. <br> <br> <strong>On this episode:</strong> <br> Gabriel Dominguez:  <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/int-gabriel-dominguez/">Articles</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/DominLemin">Twitter</a><br> <br> <strong>Read more/Watch more:</strong> <br> <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/01/15/national/politics-diplomacy/kishida-biden-summit-analysis/">Kishida and Biden meeting heralds an alliance in lock-step — but challenges remain</a> (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times)<br> <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/01/23/national/japan-role-us-taiwan-conflict/">Crucial role: Defense of Taiwan hinges on Japan support</a> (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times)<br> <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/01/31/national/politics-diplomacy/nato-jens-stoltenberg-fumio-kishida/">Japan and NATO agree to deepen partnership, saying rules-based order ‘at stake’</a> (Gabriel Dominquez, The Japan Times)<br> <br> <strong>Get in touch:</strong> Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, head to <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/podcast_category/deep-dive/">japantimes.co.jp</a>. And don’t forget to follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/japandeepdive?lang=en">Twitter</a>!  </div>