Japan scrambled an all-time record of 1,168 jets last year to March, 851 times in response to Chinese aircraft approaching Japanese airspace.
Will Presidents Trump and Xi’s new found friendship help ease tensions as China asserts its growing military power across Asia?
Probably not. More likely, Japan will have to continue to play a greater role in regional security, as Abe pushes for an amendment to the country’s pacifist constitution. Abe already successfully fought for a reinterpretation of the constitution allowing for “collective self-defense.