Tokyo recently made waves when it published a new National Security Strategy for the first time in nearly a decade. Among other things, the document endorses Japan’s acquisition of counterstrike capabilities to defend against regional threats like North Korea, while calling to double military spending by 2027 to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP).

The strategy represents a major policy shift. While Japan’s pacifist constitution still severely constrains its self-defense forces, Tokyo has nonetheless taken a big step toward transforming Japan into a so-called normal country.

And in a shift, the Japanese public appears to