By any measure but volume, Japan is already a big noise in Asia. Its economy is second only to America's in the world. It is the region's most generous financial supporter of less well-off countries both near and far. And it has the best-equipped soldiers and sailors in East Asia after America's. Until now Japan has deliberately understated its weight, not only to allay fears that it would again throw it about militarily, as it did in the 1930s and 1940s, but also because, protected comfortably by America, it has had little need for a distinctive regional voice. That has changed. Today's Japan wants, and deserves, more credit for all that it does to uphold Asia's stability and prosperity. And the role Japan needs to play is itself also changing.
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