After decades of constitutionally enshrined pacifism and reliance on American military protection, Japan is undergoing its most significant defense transformation since the end of World War II. Confronted by an assertive China, nuclear-armed North Korea, and Russian territorial disputes, Tokyo is shedding its post-war restraints to become a formidable military power capable of independent defense. In a move that would have been unthinkable a decade ago, Japan has scrapped its long-standing 1% GDP ceiling on defense spending, a self-imposed limit that had defined its security posture for generations.