Japan's soft balancing and hedging strategy for LAC: intersecting policies in a new international order

Kanako Yamaoka and Gabriel Garcia

Chapter 3 in Japan, Latin America and the Caribbean, 2026, pp 40-57 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 3 examines the political relationship between Japan and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) since the 2000s, focusing on two key policy shifts: Prime Minister Koizumi's ‘Japan–Latin America Partnership Initiative’ in 2004 and Prime Minister Abe's ‘Juntos’ speech in 2014. These policies represent a shift in Japan's foreign policy towards a soft-balancing strategy to strengthen alliances through non-military means. LAC countries have responded with a return-maximizing hedging approach to benefit from both Japan and China. To attract the attention of governments in the region, China has promoted major schemes like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the China–CELAC Forum. Despite a mismatch of policy intentions between Japan's soft balancing and LAC's strategic hedging, there is potential for compromise given the changing international geopolitical scenario.

Keywords: Japan–LAC Relations; Hedging; Soft Balancing; Belt and Road Initiative; China–CELAC Forum (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035388257
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