{"id":42069,"date":"2026-01-13T12:00:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/?p=42069"},"modified":"2026-01-14T11:45:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T09:45:17","slug":"what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"42069\" class=\"elementor elementor-42069\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3c8e9006 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3c8e9006\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-526c2e29\" data-id=\"526c2e29\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3852c271 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3852c271\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Photo: Unsplash<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4f20a9f9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4f20a9f9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<style>.elementor-element-4f20a9f9{display:none !important}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7c4c11f9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7c4c11f9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4583d44b\" data-id=\"4583d44b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-4feb4e72 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4feb4e72\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-no-translation=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-e49b30e\" data-id=\"e49b30e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4535d8fa elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4535d8fa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>What is happening?<\/h2><p>In his New Year\u2019s greetings to the public, <strong>Emperor Naruhito<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/english.kyodonews.net\/articles\/-\/67838\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">expressed<\/a> concern about the difficulties many Japanese are facing following last year\u2019s natural disasters and said he hopes that 2026 will be a \u201cpeaceful and good year\u201d for people in Japan as well as around the world. However, it has not been an easy start to the new year for Japan, and with challenges ahead, such as <strong>ongoing <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/who-let-the-wolves-out-japans-position-on-taiwan-infuriated-china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>tensions<\/strong><\/a><strong> with China<\/strong> and the overall <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/escalating-indo-pacific-rivalries-responses-from-regional-and-global-powers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>security situation<\/strong><\/a><strong> in the Indo-Pacific<\/strong>, the pace shows no signs of slowing.<\/p><h2>\u00a0<\/h2><h2>What is the broader picture?<\/h2><p>Japanese <strong>Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi<\/strong> started the year with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20260103_02\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">phone call<\/a> to <strong>U.S. President Donald Trump<\/strong>. She said that 2026 should open a new chapter in the Japan\u2013US alliance, with significantly enhanced cooperation, particularly in the fields of the <strong>economy<\/strong> and <strong>security<\/strong>. Both leaders agreed on continued cooperation with like-minded countries such as <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/the-three-musketeers-of-the-indo-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>South Korea<\/strong><\/a> to support the vision of a <strong>free and open Indo-Pacific<\/strong>. Trump also <strong>invited Takaichi<\/strong> to the United States, with a visit slated for spring.<\/p><p>Takaichi then officially kicked off the new year with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20260105_15\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news conference<\/a>, where she addressed both current developments and future goals. On <strong>Venezuela<\/strong>, she commented that Japan\u2019s priorities are to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and stabilize the situation in cooperation with G7 countries and regional players.<\/p><p>Reporters asked her about <strong>dissolving the Lower House<\/strong>, as she has not yet faced a national election as prime minister (having succeeded her predecessor, <strong>Shigeru Ishiba<\/strong>, in October 2025). She did not mention a potential <strong>snap election<\/strong> but replied that her ruling <strong>Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) <\/strong>and its junior coalition partner, the <strong>Japan Innovation Party (JIP)<\/strong>, have built a foundation and will continue to call on opposition parties to cooperate. Since then, Japanese media have <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20260111_01\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> that the prime minister is eyeing <strong>January 23<\/strong> as a potential date for dissolving the Lower House.\u00a0<\/p><p>Takaichi\u2019s coalition government continues to enjoy <strong>high approval ratings<\/strong>. Calling a snap election could therefore potentially help the LDP recover from the <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/old-guard-shaken-ldps-decline-in-japans-upper-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">significant losses<\/a> it suffered over the past two years. On the other hand, Takaichi\u2019s party <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/videos\/20260108165815938\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stands<\/a> on much shakier ground than her Cabinet. While the latter currently enjoys a 64% approval rating, the party at large lags far behind with just 30.6% support. This probably explains why she is now focusing more on <a href=\"https:\/\/japan.kantei.go.jp\/104\/decisions\/2025\/_00004.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">economic policies<\/a>, such as <strong>tackling rising prices<\/strong>.<\/p><p>One reason for the high approval ratings is Takaichi\u2019s <strong>firm stance on China<\/strong>. Beijing has taken several <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/who-let-the-wolves-out-japans-position-on-taiwan-infuriated-china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">measures<\/a> vis-\u00e0-vis Japan following Takaichi\u2019s remarks last November, hinting that <strong>Japan might become involved<\/strong> if China attempted to <strong>forcibly change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait<\/strong>. Despite Chinese pressure, the Japanese government <strong>did not retract the remarks<\/strong>, although Takaichi <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20260105_15\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> she wants to build a constructive and stable relationship with China and that <strong>Tokyo will maintain communication with Beijing<\/strong>.<\/p><p>This, however, will continue to be difficult. On <strong>January 6<\/strong>, just one day after Takaichi\u2019s news conference, <strong>China\u2019s Ministry of Commerce<\/strong> announced a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/china-bans-exports-dual-use-items-military-purposes-japan-2026-01-06\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>ban<\/strong><\/a><strong> on exports of dual-use items to Japan<\/strong> that could be used to strengthen its military, citing Chinese national security interests. At the same time, the statement <strong>did not specify which items<\/strong> would fall under the new export controls, sparking debate in Japan about possible consequences for its economy, especially as relates to <strong>rare earths<\/strong>, around <strong>60 percent<\/strong> of which are imported from China.<\/p><h2>\u00a0<\/h2><h2>Why does it matter?<\/h2><p>In response to <strong>Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine<\/strong> in 2022 and Moscow\u2019s deepening <strong>cooperation with China and North Korea<\/strong>, Japan has revised its approach to defense and security in recent years. In 2022, it decided to gradually <strong>double its defense budget<\/strong> from 1% to <strong>2% of GDP<\/strong> and adopted three key documents: the <strong>National Security Strategy<\/strong>, the <strong>National Defense Strategy<\/strong>, and the <strong>Defense Buildup Program<\/strong>.<\/p><p>In her first press conference of the year, Takaichi <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20260105_15\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> her plan is to <strong>revise all three documents<\/strong> within the year due to the rapidly changing security environment. Her Cabinet also approved a <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20251217_11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>record-large defense budget<\/strong><\/a> for the fiscal year starting this April, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/china-bans-exports-dual-use-items-military-purposes-japan-2026-01-06\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">including<\/a> a <strong>3.8 percent increase<\/strong> in annual military spending to <strong>9 trillion yen<\/strong> (about US$58 billion). China\u2019s state-run Xinhua news agency described Japan\u2019s readjusted approach to its security policy as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/china-bans-exports-dual-use-items-military-purposes-japan-2026-01-06\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">alarming<\/a>.\u201d<\/p><p>Japan thus faces a long list of New Year\u2019s resolutions, covering serious domestic as well as international issues. The price of keeping them will be high, but the price of breaking them would be even higher.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo: Unsplash Foto: Unsplash What is happening? In his New Year\u2019s greetings to the public, Emperor Naruhito expressed concern about the difficulties many Japanese are facing following last year\u2019s natural disasters and said he hopes that 2026 will be a \u201cpeaceful and good year\u201d for people in Japan as well as around the world. However, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":42071,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[500],"tags":[506],"class_list":["post-42069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-david-toman"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026? - European Values Center for Security Policy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026? - European Values Center for Security Policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Photo: Unsplash Foto: Unsplash What is happening? In his New Year\u2019s greetings to the public, Emperor Naruhito expressed concern about the difficulties many Japanese are facing following last year\u2019s natural disasters and said he hopes that 2026 will be a \u201cpeaceful and good year\u201d for people in Japan as well as around the world. However, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"European Values Center for Security Policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-13T10:00:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-14T09:45:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2160\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1136\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7724fb271acacd215231c937a200a510\"},\"headline\":\"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-13T10:00:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-14T09:45:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1729,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"David Toman\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026? - European Values Center for Security Policy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-13T10:00:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-14T09:45:17+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg\",\"width\":2160,\"height\":1136},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Dom\u016f\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"European Values Center for Security Policy\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"European Values Center for Security Policy\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/logo-horse.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/logo-horse.svg\",\"caption\":\"European Values Center for Security Policy\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7724fb271acacd215231c937a200a510\",\"name\":\"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f89146eedd3ddff4c25476fbcda302860efe5ac77dc8e7ad9cd2b43a88c341ce?s=96&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f89146eedd3ddff4c25476fbcda302860efe5ac77dc8e7ad9cd2b43a88c341ce?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f89146eedd3ddff4c25476fbcda302860efe5ac77dc8e7ad9cd2b43a88c341ce?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/author\\\/ond-ber\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026? - European Values Center for Security Policy","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026? - European Values Center for Security Policy","og_description":"Photo: Unsplash Foto: Unsplash What is happening? In his New Year\u2019s greetings to the public, Emperor Naruhito expressed concern about the difficulties many Japanese are facing following last year\u2019s natural disasters and said he hopes that 2026 will be a \u201cpeaceful and good year\u201d for people in Japan as well as around the world. However, [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/","og_site_name":"European Values Center for Security Policy","article_published_time":"2026-01-13T10:00:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-14T09:45:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2160,"height":1136,"url":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek","@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7724fb271acacd215231c937a200a510"},"headline":"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026?","datePublished":"2026-01-13T10:00:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-14T09:45:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/"},"wordCount":1729,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg","keywords":["David Toman"],"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/","name":"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026? - European Values Center for Security Policy","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-13T10:00:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-14T09:45:17+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Road_covered_with_snow.jpg","width":2160,"height":1136},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/what-lies-ahead-for-japan-in-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Dom\u016f","item":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Lies Ahead for Japan in 2026?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/","name":"European Values Center for Security Policy","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/#organization","name":"European Values Center for Security Policy","url":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/logo-horse.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/logo-horse.svg","caption":"European Values Center for Security Policy"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7724fb271acacd215231c937a200a510","name":"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f89146eedd3ddff4c25476fbcda302860efe5ac77dc8e7ad9cd2b43a88c341ce?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f89146eedd3ddff4c25476fbcda302860efe5ac77dc8e7ad9cd2b43a88c341ce?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f89146eedd3ddff4c25476fbcda302860efe5ac77dc8e7ad9cd2b43a88c341ce?s=96&r=g","caption":"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek"},"url":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/author\/ond-ber\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42069"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42104,"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42069\/revisions\/42104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}