Middle Power Concept Revisited: Japan, South Korea and Australia’s Roles and Strategies in the Indo-Pacific Region

The Indo-Pacific region has faced an uncertain regional order due to the volatile security situation created by an assertive China, a nuclear North Korea, and a warmongering Russia. Vis-à-vis China, the strong US reaction has resulted in the perception of US-China competition. In that difficult context, Australia, Japan, and South Korea, all US allies, have played significant and novel roles. For instance, they were instrumental in giving life to minilateral groupings such as Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, encouraging cooperation among states and advocating narratives such as the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy to underpin the current regional order. They are also crucial players in maintaining economic supply chains to the extent that their policies matter to the US and China. Given the shrinking power gaps between the US and China, the roles played by middle powers, such as Australia, Japan and South Korea, deserve attention. Although the concept of middle power and the roles of middle powers have been widely discussed, they may have more significant political and strategic weight than meeting the eye in uncertain circumstances. This panel explores novel roles of the middle powers in the Indo-Pacific region from various perspectives—institutions, minilateral frameworks, narratives, conceptual transition, etc. By examining various cases, the panel also aims to redefine the middle power concept.