Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi rocketed to a high-velocity start on the diplomatic front when she took office in October. Within weeks, her administration used major multilateral and bilateral platforms ¡ª including the East Asia Summit, a Japan-U.S. leaders¡¯ meeting and APEC ¡ª to hold successive summit-level talks with South Korea and China.
This rapid sequence of diplomacy projected continuity and predictability in Japanese foreign policy and helped underpin strong domestic approval ratings. By swiftly reestablishing direct channels with key international actors, the new administration signaled that Japan would remain an active and reliable diplomatic presence despite growing global instability.
At the same time, the Takaichi government experienced a major transformation in domestic politics that would significantly reshape its security agenda. The dissolution of the longstanding Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition initially raised concerns about political instability.
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