As part of JCIE’s Democracy for the Future Project, 15 Japanese Diet members, including members of the Diet’s multiparty Caucus for Universal Values in the Indo-Pacific, met to discuss how democracy can be protected at a time when populism is spreading globally. Initial remarks were made by Francis Fukuyama, a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the author of The End of History and the Last Man, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, and Liberalism and Its Discontents.

During the roundtable, participants examined the decline of democratic governance, the rise of populist leaders in advanced democracies, and the role Japan can play in responding to these challenges.

Key points from the discussion are summarized below:

• A changing global leadership landscape: The United States may have limited capacity to lead efforts to protect democracy for the next several years. This makes it increasingly important for other democratic countries to work together to uphold an international order based on the rule of law.
• Strengthening cooperation in Asia: While creating a NATO-like security alliance in Asia is currently difficult, establishing reliable communication channels among regional democracies is a realistic and important goal. Japan should take the lead in promoting such informal cooperation, with Japan–South Korea cooperation highlighted as particularly important.
• Supporting democracy worldwide: Countries committed to the rule of law, regardless of their size, should support one another in upholding democratic principles and liberal institutions. It would be highly beneficial for Japan to establish an organization to support democratic governance worldwide, similar to the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED), to assist individuals oppressed by authoritarian regimes and promote adherence to the rule of law.