In the middle of the Indo-Pacific: Japan, Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands

Too often, discussion of the 'Indo-Pacific' is heavily focused on China, the United States and India. While these nations are the biggest actors in the region, it is important to note that they are not the only nations with influence. As security policy evolves, we ask how other nations, from big economies such as Japan and Indonesia, to smaller states like Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, are internalising the concept and incorporating it into national strategy.

In this week's episode, Chris Farnham goes in depth on national strategies in the Indo-Pacific region. Chatting Southeast Asia with Greta Nabbs Keller, the Pacific islands with Joanne Wallis, and then turning to Hiroyasu Akutsu for a discussion on Japan, this National Security Podcast offers insight into the shifting sands of the regions' policies.

Hiroyasu Akutsu is a Senior Fellow and Professor at the National Institute for Defense Studies in Tokyo. He specializes in political and military issues on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, Japan-Australia security cooperation, and the Japan-US alliance.

Greta Nabbs-Keller is Manager of Indonesia and Southeast Asia programs at the University of Queensland’s International Development unit. Greta’s broader research interests include Indonesian civil-military relations, Indonesia-China relations, politico-security developments in Southeast Asia and the Australia-Indonesia relations.

Joanne Wallis is a Senior Lecturer in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University. She completed her PhD in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge, where she was a Poynton Cambridge Australia scholar and Wolfson College Commonwealth scholar.

Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia.

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