Japan has approved its largest-ever budget for 2026, with defense spending surpassing 60 billion U.S. dollars and reaching the 2% of GDP threshold ahead of schedule. Tokyo has revised its key security policies, and is moving to lift long-standing restrictions on lethal weapons exports. Given Japan's history, such shifts are closely watched. What is the long-term objective behind Japan's evolving military strategy? Has it departed from its postwar commitment to a purely defensive posture? And could these changes signal a more assertive – and potentially destabilizing – role in regional security?