Japan and the World: A Stable Democracy in a Changing World Order

Dimitri Vanoverbeke (University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law and KU Leuven, Japanese Studies)

Japan is often admired for the qualities many societies aspire to: remarkably low crime and unemployment, excellent public services, and a high quality of life. It is, in many respects, an exceptionally resilient democracy. Yet that resilience can no longer be taken for granted. The world around Japan has changed dramatically, and Japan itself is changing with it.

That is the point of departure for my new book, Japan en de Wereld: een stabiele democratie in een veranderende wereldorde [English: Japan and the World: A Stable Democracy in a Changing World Order] (Owl Press, 2026). Written in Dutch, it is the only book of its kind to offer a broad and accessible account of Japan’s political system, economic governance, and policy choices in fields that matter deeply to both Europeans and Japanese today, including justice, security, regional cooperation, geopolitical tensions, and Japan’s evolving relations with the United States and Europe.

The book begins from a simple observation: Japan is no distant curiosity. It is a country whose dilemmas increasingly resemble our own. How does a democracy preserve stability when security is under pressure, the economy is exposed to global shocks, and the international order grows more fragile? How can a society remain faithful to its principles without becoming naïve? How can it adapt without losing cohesion? I argue that Japan is not only a subject worth studying in its own right, but also a laboratory for our future.

These questions matter greatly to European readers, especially those interested in Europe-Japan relations. Although Japan and the European Union are geographically distant, they are drawing ever closer strategically. Both depend on open trade, the rule of law, reliable institutions, and a rules-based international order. Each is a normative power in its own right, shaping the world through standards, diplomacy, legal frameworks, and economic credibility rather than brute force. In an era marked by mounting tensions in Europe and East Asia, and growing uncertainty about the long-term reliability of traditional alliances, Japan and the EU have little choice but to cooperate more closely if they are to help preserve stability in both East Asia and Europe.

That is why the relationship between Japan and Europe is becoming one of the key strategic partnerships of our time. This book explores that partnership in depth, while also examining how Japan balances its indispensable alliance with the United States, its complex neighbourhood, and its internal debates on democracy, reform, security, and identity.

My aim in writing this book was to go beyond familiar clichés and official summaries. Beneath Japan’s polished exterior lies a far richer story of institutions, ideas, tensions, adaptations, and human choices. I hope this book will encourage readers to see Japan not as a distant exception, but as a country whose experiences speak directly to many of the questions Europe is now facing itself.

If you are curious about Japan, concerned about the changing world order, or interested in Europe’s future partnerships in Asia, I hope this book will invite you to look more closely. Japan may seem far away. In reality, it has never been closer.

Dimitri Vanoverbeke, Japan en de wereld: een stabiele democratie in een veranderende wereldorde (Owl Press, 2026)

More information: https://www.borgerhoff-lamberigts.be/owl-press/shop/boeken/japan-en-de-wereld