Navigating Strategic Waters: The Japan–New Zealand Partnership in the South Pacific.

The Japan–New Zealand strategic partnership continues to expand, partly due to their shared interests in the South Pacific region. However, their closer strategic partnership does not imply a complete alignment of their strategic interests, especially in light of the growing strategic competition in the South Pacific region. Perception gap exists as to how Japan and New Zealand would deal with the presence of China in the South Pacific region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]